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Jim  G. 


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MAP  OF  ARKANSAS 

Reproduced  on  a  reduced  scale  from  map  by  John  C.  Branner 
F3ocio!olsfyS.  Geology  Survey  Bulletin  No.  351,  "The  Clays  of 
liege  of  Agriculture/      Arkansas,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1907. 

UNIVERSITY  OF    /JL/  


LEGEND 


QUATERNARY 


TERTIARY    Cambrian .Ordovician.Silurian, 
and  Devonian 


CARBONIFEROUS 


Pennsylvanian  Mississippian. 


Productive  Coal    Undifferentiated    Underlying  Beds      Igneous 
Measures  Sandstones      of  Mississippian       Rocks 


OHIYEB8ITY  OF  AitK 

^TO«m  ^r^  T>ITT>\I.  wnnNOMir>S  &  SOCIOLCM 


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/,     .  /  JANUARY  ! 930 

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OUTLINES 

of  the 

GEOLOGY,  SOILS  AND  MINERALS 

of  the 
STATE  OF  ARKANSAS 


JIM  G.  FERGUS! 

Commissioner  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture. 

JOHN  C  SMALL,  Editor 
JOHN  E.  CASEY,  Deputy 


DEPT. 
FA 


AKK  ANS  AS 

ECONOMICS  & 
TEVILLE, 


Published  by  the  State 
LITTLE  ROCK 


1920 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page 

Introduction^ 7 

Review  of  history  of  Arkansas  geological  surveys,  by  Jim  G. 

Ferguson,  Commissioner  of  Mines,  Manf.  &  Agr 7-12 

Outline  of  work  for  new  Geological  Survey,  suggested  by  Dr. 

Branner  14 

Incidents  in  the  history  of  the  geological  survey  of  Arkansas, 
and  some  conclusions  to  be  drawn  therefrom,  by  John  C.  Bran- 
ner, former  State  Geologist  of  Arkansas  15-20 

Geology  and  general  topographic  features  of  Arkansas,  by  Hugh  D. 

Miser   21 

Topography    21-24 

Geology   ....„ 24-26 

General  features 24-26 

Ozark  region 26 

Ordovician  system 26 

Jefferson  City  dolomite 26 

Cotter  dolomite 26 

Powell  limestone 26 

Everton  limestone 26 

St.  Peter  sandstone 27 

Joachim  limestone      y^ ml  4JJtflt 

Jasper  limestone   ....•**— 27 

Plattin  limestone 27 

Kimmswick  limestone  - 28 

Fernvale  limestone 28 

Cason  shale 28 

Silurian  system - 29 

Brassfield  limestone 29 

St.  Glair  limestone 29 

Lafferty  Limestone   29 

Devonian  system 29 

Penters  chert 29 

Clifty  limestone 29 

Chattanooga  stfiale 29 

Carboniferous  system 30 

Mississippian   series   -  -  30 

Boone  formation 30 

Moorefield  shale  30 

Batesville  sandstone 30 

Fayetteville  shale 31 

Pitkin  limestone 31 

Pennsylvanian   series   31 

Morrow  group 31 

Winslow  formation 32 

Ouachita  Mountain  region 32 

Cambrian  system  32 

Collier  Shale  •  32 

Ordovician  system 32 

Crystal  Mountain  sandstone 32 

Mazarn  shale  .. 


Page 

Blakely  sandstone 33 

Womble  shale 33 

Bigfork  chert  33 

Polk  Creek  shale  33 

Silurian  system  r~.  34 

Blaylock  sandstone  34 

Missouri  Mountain  slate  34 

Devonian   system   34 

Arkansas  novaculite  —  34 

Carboniferous  system  35 

Mississippian  series  .. 35 

Hot  Springs  sandstone  35 

Stanley  shale 36 

Jackfork  sandstone 36 

Pennsylvanian  series 36 

Atoka  formation 36 

Arkansas  Valley  region 37 

Carboniferous  system  37 

Mississippian  series  - 37 

Jackfork  sandstone  37 

Pennsylvanian  series  37 

Atoka  formation  37 

Hartshorne  sandstone 37 

McAlester  group  37 

Savanna-formation  37 

Gulf  Coastal  Plain  „..?.':. *&: 38 

Cretaceous  system  38 

Lower  Cretaceous  series 38 

Trinity  formation 38 

Goodland  limestone 38 

Washita  group 39 

Upper  Cretaceous  series  39 

Bingen  formation 39 

Brownstown  marl 39 

Austin   ("Annona")    chalk  39 

Marlbrook  marl  40 

Nacatoch  sand  40 

Arkadelphia  clay  40 

Tertiary   system 41 

Eocene  series 41 

Pliocene  series   (?)    ., 41 

Quaternary  system 41 

Bibliography  , 42 

Minerals  and  economic  products 43 

Metalliferous  minerals 43 

Antimony    43 

Bauxite 44 

Origin  of  the  deposits 45-46 

Users  of  bauxite- 49 

Production  of  bauxite  in  the  United  States  by  states. 49 

Copper 51 

Gold 52 

Iron  ..  53 


Page 

Iron  pyrites  54 

Lead   54 

Manganese    57 

Silver   60 

Zinc  61 

Non-metalliferous  minerals  and  economic  products  66 

Arkansite    66 

Asphalt 66 

Agricultural  marls  and  chalk 67 

Cretaceous  marls  67 

Chalky  or  lime  marls  68 

Building    stone    68 

Clays  68 

Location  of  deposits  68-71 

Ball  or  paper  clay  68 

Brick  clay  68 

Fire  clay  70 

Kaolin 70 

Pottery  clays 70 

Clays  for  drain  tiles  72 

Fort  Smith  clays 72 

Loess  for  brick-making 73 

Fire  clays 73 

Pottery  clays 74 

Bauxite  clays  . 74 

Shale  ; !..: 74 

Kaolin  deposits 75 

Clay  report  delayed  76 

Cement  materials  76 

Chalk   77 

Coal  79 

Geology  of  the  coal  field  79-81 

Extent  of  the  coal  supply  81 

Heating  value  of  Arkansas  coal  : 82 

List  of  Arkansas  coal  operators  82 

Sebastian  County  82-83 

Franklin  County  84 

Johnson  County  84 

Pope  County  84 

Logan  County 85 

Scott  County 85 

Crawford   County    85 

Yell  County 85 

Washington  County   85 

Chert 86 

Diamonds 88 

Fuller's  earth  89 

"Granite"  (Syenite) 91 

Character  of  the  rocks  91 

Geologic  and  geographic  position  92 

Division  of  the  eleolite  syenites  of  Arkansas  into  areas     92 

Glass  sand  ...  93 


Page 

Gravel    93 

Deposits  in  the  Caddo  Gap  and  DeQueen  quadrangles 93 

Crowley's  Ridge  gravel  94 

Arkansas  River  gravels  94 

Gravels  on  the  higher  ridges  94 

Graphite  : 94 

Gypsum 94 

Lignite  95 

Lignite  near  Camden 95 

Lignite  of  Crowley's  Ridge  96 

Lignite  elsewhere  97 

Limestone  for  lime 97 

Carboniferous  limestones 97 

Trinity  limestone 97 

Tertiary  limestones 97 

Ouachita  Mountain  region  97 

Limestone,  building  101 

Marbles   101 

Novaculite  (Whetstones) 102 

Natural  gas 

Constantin  Well,  photograph 103 

Introductory,  by  Doctor  Branner  104 

Structure  of  Fort  Smith-Poteau  gas  field  105 

Structural  relations  105 

Oil   

Dr.  Drake's  opinion  108-114 

Hunter  Well,  photograph  113 

Relation  of  Louisiana  field  115 

Asphalt  and  petroleum  in  southwestern  Arkansas  116 

Oil  geology  around  Fayetteville  117 

Outlook  in  north  central  Arkansas 117 

Natural   Mounds   118 

Oil    Shales    118 

Ochre   119 

Onyx  119 

Paint  minerals  119 

Pearls 120 

Phosphates   120 

Northern  Arkansas  120 

Other  deposits  of  phosphate  122 

Potash  from  leucite  rock  123 

Precious  stones 124 

Quartz  crystals  124 

Rectorite  124 

Road  making  materials  in  Arkansas,  by  J.  C.  Branner 126 

Inferior  materials  127 

Argillaceous  shales  127 

Limestones    127 

Syenite  or  "granite"  128 

Sandstone   128 

Superior  materials  128 

Arenaceous  or  sandy  stales  129 

The  chert  or  "flint  rock"  ...  ..  130 


Page 

Novaculite    131 

The  gravels 131 

Salt  132 

Sandstone   133 

Sand,  building  133 

Slate  135 

Topography,  geology  and  character  of  deposits  135 

Microscopic  analyses  of  slates  from  Arkansas 136 

Soils    162-182 

Description  of  Surveyed  areas 162 

Map  of  surveyed  areas 162 

Soil  Reconaissance  of  the  Ozark  Region 163 

Ozark  Dome  163 

Boston  Mountain  Pleateau  164 

Ouachita    Mountains    166 

Alluvial  Soil  of  the  Ozark. region 166 

Areas  of  the  different  soils  167 

Description  of  the  Prairie  soils 167 

Ashley  County  168 

Columbia   County   169 

Conway  County 170 

Craighead   County    171 

Fayetteville   area   172 

Faulkner  County  173 

Hempstead  County  174 

Howard  County  176 

Jefferson  County  176 

Mississippi    County    177 

Pope   County   .  178 

Prairie   County    179 

Yell   County  180 

Talc-Soapstone  139 

Tripoli    139 

Water  resources  140 

Water  power 140 

Mineral  waters   141 

Ground  waters  of  northeast  Arkansas  143 

Water  supply  in  the  rice  belt  143 

The  hot  springs  of  Arkansas  145 

List  of  springs  and  wells 149 

Minor  Minerals  not  including  Magnet  Cove  153 

Magnet  Cove  156 

Description  of  Magnet  Cove  156 

Minerals  found  in  Magnet  Cove  157 

Synopsis  of  the  regulatory  mining  laws  of  Arkansas  ..  ..  160 


INTRODUCTION. 


BEVIEW  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  ARKANSAS 
GEOLOGICAL  SURVEYS. 


Until  the  State  Legislature  deems  it  expedient  to  authorize  a  further 
survey  of  our  mineral  resources,  a  work  that  has  been  neglected  for  a  good 
many  years  and  for  the  lack  of  which  Arkansas  has  been  seriously  hindered 
in  its  material  progress,  use  must  be  made  of  such  literature  as  has  resulted 
from  the  splendid  labors  of  earlier  surveys,  and  the  records  of  private  and 
government  researches,  if  our  knowledge  of  the  geology  of  the  state  is  to  be 
refreshed  either  for  practical  purposes  or  for  our  mental  edification. 

The  subject  of  a  state  geological  survey  of  Arkansas  was  first  brought 
to  public  attention  by  Governor  Elias  N.  Conway  in  his  message  to  the  Leg- 
islature in  1856.  On  his  recommendation  the  first  geological  survey  of  the 
state  was  begun  under  an  act  passed  January  4,  1857.  Dr.  David  Dale  Owen, 
then  State  Geologist  of  Kentucky,  was  appointed  State  Geologist  of  Arkan- 
sas and  entered  upon  his  duties  October  1,  1857.  The  results  of  the  work 
done  in  1857  and  1858  are  given  in  Owen's  "First  Report  of  a  Geological 
Reconnaissance  of  the  Northern  Counties  of  Arkansas,"  Little  Rock,  1858. 

The  bill  providing  for  the  continuation  of  the  survey  passed  in  February, 
1859.  Under  this  act  Doctor  Owen  was  again  appointed  State  Geologist. 
Before  the  next  Legislature  convened  Doctor  Owen  died  (Nov.  3,  I860),  and 
his  "Second  Report  of  a  Geological  Reconnaissance,"  was  edited  by  his 
brother,  Doctor  Richard  Owen,  and  Prof.  J.  P.  Lesley,  and  was  printed  in 
Philadelphia  in  1862.  Both  of  the  Owens  reports  are  now  out  of  print. 

The  Civil  War  followed  shortly  after  the  publication  of  Doctor  Owen's 
second  report,  and  all  such  work  was  necessarily  suspended  in  the  Southern 
States.  No  steps  were  taken  to  finish  the  geological  survey  of  Arkansas 
until  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  the  General  Assembly  of  1866  a  bill  was  passed  by  the  Senate  pro- 
viding for  a  geological  survey  of  the  state,  but  it  was  rejected  by  the  Lower 
House.  In  the  Legislature  of  1871  a  survey  bill  was  passed,  and  approved 
May  28,  1871.  Under  this  act  Governor  O.  A.  Hadley  appointed  W.  F.  Rob- 
erts, Sr.,  of  Pennsylvania,  State  Geologist.  Dr.  George  Haddock,  then  of 
Arkadelphia,  was,  upon  Governor  Hadley's  recommendation,  appointed  Mr. 
Roberts'  assistant  and  went  with  him  through  the  western  part  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Roberts'  report  was  never  delivered  to  the  Governor.  A  series  of  ar- 
ticles, however,  was  subsequently  published  by  Mr.  Roberts  in  the  Age  of 
Steel,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri  (1887-88),  and  it  is  probable  that  these  articles 


8  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

represent  his  views  of  the  geology  of  the  state  and  give  the  results  of  his 
work.    They  are  largely  a  repetition  of  the  results  given  by  Doctor  Owen. 

In  1873  Dr.  George  Haddock,  who  had  been  Mr.  Roberts'  assistant,  pub- 
lished at  Little  Rock  a  pamphlet  of  66  pages,  entitled  "Report  of  a  Geological 
Reconnaissance  of  a  Part  of  the  State  of  Arkansas  Made  During  the  Years 
1871-72."  This  paper  gives  the  only  results  of  the  work  done  under  this  ap- 
propriation. It  is  of  but  little  or  no  importance  and  adds  nothing  to  the 
work  done  by  Doctor  Owen.  The  paper  is  out  of  print. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1873  passed  a  bill  for  the  continuation  of  the 
survey.  Under  this  act  the  following  geologists  were  appointed:  George 
Haddock,  appointed  May  15,  1873,  removed  from  office  January  14,  1874. 
Mr.  Haddock  made  no  report  except  the  one  published  under  a  former  ap- 
propriation and  mentioned  above.  Wm.  C.  Hazeldine,  appointed  January  14, 
1874,  and  removed  June  29,  1874.  As  State  Geologist  he  made  no  report  and, 
so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  did  no  field  work.  Arnold  Syberg  was  appointed 
June  29,  1874,  and  remained  in  office  to  the  end  of  the  term.  Mr.  Syberg 
made  no  report,  and  the  only  work  he  did  was  to  receive  and  examine  speci- 
mens sent  or  brought  in  from  various  parts  of  the  state. 

The  failure  of  the  surveys  from  1868  and  1875  to  yield  any  geological  re- 
sults must  be  attributed  to  the  general  demoralization  of  the  state  govern- 
ment during  the  reconstruction  period.  No  further  efforts  were  made  to 
carry  on  a  geological  survey  until  the  year  1881,  when  a  bill  for  such  work 
was  defeated  in  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly.  In  the  Assembly 
of  1883  the  only  legislation  passed  relating  to  geological  work  was  a  Senate 
concurrent  resolution  "authorizing  and  directing  the  Governor  to  make  ap- 
plication to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  the  United  States  for  a  geological 
survey  of  the  State  of  Arkansas."  Nothing  seems  to  have  come  of  this  ef- 
fort to  obtain  help  from  the  national  government. 

In  January,  1887,  Governor  Simon  P.  Hughes,  in  his  message  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  suggested  an  appropriation  for  a  geological  survey.  An  act 
was  accordingly  passed  providing  for  the  appointment  of  a  State  Geologist 
and  three  assistants.  Under  this  act  Dr.  J.  C.  Branner  was  appointed  State 
Geologist  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  June  24,  1887.  In  the 
General  Assembly  of  1889  there  was  much  opposition  to  the  continuance  of 
the  survey  due  chiefly  to  the  fact  that  the  survey  had  declared  fraudulent 
certain  so-called  gold  mines  in  the  western  part  of  the  state.  The  bill,  how- 
ever, passed  and  Doctor  Branner  was  reappointed  State  Geologist.  The 
survey  was  continued  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1891,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  it  should  be  brought  to  a  close  by  the  end  of  March,  1893.  How- 
ever, the  General  Assembly  of  1893  appropriated  $4,000  to  complete  the  pub- 
lication of  reports. 

During  Doctor  Branner's  term  of  office  a  large  number  of  reports  were 
issued.  The  annual  report  of  1888  comprised  four  volumes,  that  of  1889  two 
volumes,  1891,  two  volumes,  1892,  five  volumes,  and  two  reports  remain  un- 
published for  lack  of  appropriations.  The  reports  issued  are  chiefly  of  an 
economic  nature,  although  a  few  are  of  a  more  general  geologic  character. 
A  list  of  them  follows: 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Annual  Report  for  1888. 

Vol.     I — Gold  and  Silver,  by  Theo.  B.  Comstock,  Pp.  xxxi,  320,  2  maps. 
Vol.    II — Mesozoic,  by  R.  T.  Hill.    Pp.  xiv,  319;  illustrated;  1  map. 
*Vol.  Ill — Coal    (preliminary),    by   Arthur   Winslow,   Pp.   x,   120;    il- 
lustrated;  1  map. 

*Vol.  IV— Washington  County,  by  F.  W.  Simonds;  Plant  List,  by  J.  C. 
Branner  and  F.  V.  Coville.     Pp.  xiv,  262;  illustrated;   1 
map. 
Annual  Report  for  1889. 

Vol.    I — Clays,  Kaolins  and  Bauxites.     Illustrated;   maps.     By  J.  C. 

Branner;  illustrated,  about  300  pages.     (Not  published.) 

Vol.  II — Crowley's  Ridge,  by  R.  E.  Call.    Pp.  xix,  283;  illustrated;  2 

maps. 
Annual  Report  for  1890. 

Vol.       I — Manganese,  by  R.  A.  F.   Penrose,  Jr.     Pp.   xxvii,   642;    il- 
lustrated; 3  maps. 

Vol.     II — Igneous  Rocks,  by  J.  Francis  Williams.     Pp.  xv,  457;    il- 
lustrated;   6  maps. 
Vol.  Ill — Novaculites,  by  L.  S.  Griswold.     Pp.  xx,  443;  illustrated;   2 

maps. 
Vol.  IV— Marbles,  by  T.  C.  Hopkins.    Pp.  xxiv,  443;  illustrated;  atlas 

of  6  maps. 
Annual  Report  for  1891. 

*Vol.         I— Mineral  Waters,  by  J.  C.  Branner.     Pp.viii,  144;   Imap. 
*Vol.       II — Miscellaneous  Reports: — Benton  County,  by  F.  W.  Simonds 
and  T.  C.  Hopkins;  Elevations,  by  J.  C.  Branner;  River 
Observations,  by  J.  C.  Branner;  Magnetic  Observations, 
by  J.  C.  Branner;   Mollusca,  by  F.  A.  Sampson;   Myria- 
poda,  by  Charles  H.  Bollman;  Fishes,  by  Seth  E.  Meek; 
Dallas  County,  by  C.  E.  Siebenthal;  Bibliography  of  the 
Geology  of  Arkansas,  by  J.  C.  Branner.     Pp.  x,  349;   il- 
lustrated;  2  maps. 
Annual  Report  for  1892. 

*Vol.         I — Iron  Deposits,  by  R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  Jr.     Pp.  x,  153;  1  map. 
Vol.     II — Tertiary,  by  Gilbert  D.  Harris.     Pp.  xiv,  207;   illustrated, 

1  map. 

Vol.  Ill — Coal,  final  report;   illustrated;    topographic  maps  and  sec- 
tions.   By  Arthur  Winslow  and  others.     (Not  published.) 
Vol.  IV — Lower  Coal  Measures;   topographic  maps,  sections  and  il- 
lustrations, by  J.  H.  Means  and  Geo.  H.  Ashley.     (Not 
published.) 
*     V — The    Zinc    and    Lead    Deposits,    by    J.    C.    Branner.     Pp.    xiv, 

395;  illustrated;  atlas  of  7  maps. 

Relief  maps  of  the  State,  of  the  Coal  Area  and  of  Magnet  Cove  were  also 
made  under  the  Branner  survey. 

I — The  Mineral  Resources  of  Arkansas,  by  J.  C.  Branner.     (About  700 

pages,  illustrate.)     Not  published. 

II. — Final    Report   upon    the    General   Geology    of   Arkansas,    by    J.    C. 
Branner.     (About  500  pages,  illustrated.)     Not  published. 

*  A  few  copies  are  still  on  hand  and  may  be  obtained  by  forwarding"  suffi- 
cient postage  to  the  Commissioner  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture, 
Little  Rock,  Ark.  All  other  reports  are  out  of  print. 


10  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


In  1907  there  was  established  the  Geological  Survey  of  Arkansas  in 
charge  of  the  Geological  Commission  of  Arkansas,  composed  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  the  President  of  the  University  of  Arkansas,  and  the 
Commissioner  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture.  The  members  of 
the  commission  received  no  compensation  for  services  rendered  for  the 
survey,  but  were  reimbursed  for  actual  necessary  expenses.  The  Professor 
of  Geology  of  the  University  of  Arkansas  was  designated  as  Ex-Officio  State 
Geologist  and  required  to  devote  15  per  cent  of  his  time  to  survey  work. 
The  assistants  included  one  geologic  aid,  six  engineering  aids  and  one  clerk, 
appointed  by  the  State  Geologist  with  approval  of  the  Commission.  These 
assistants  have  all  been  professors  or  advanced  students  of  the  University. 
Appropriations  were  made  biennially  and  were  partly  contingent  on  co- 
operation with  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  Act  of  1907  appropriated 
$1,800  "for  a  geological  survey  of  the  slate  deposits  in  Arkansas  in  co- 
operation with  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey."  The  act  of  1909  appropriated 
$5,000  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  survey. 

Three  reports  have  been  issued  by  the  Survey  under  Prof.  A.  H.  Purdue: 
one  is  on  the  Slates  of  the  State;  another  on  Coal  Mining  in  the  State;  and 
the  third  is  a  preliminary  report  on  the  Water  Powers  (White  River).  The 
average  annual  cost  of  printing  reports  and  maps  for  the  last  four  years  has 
been  $1,300.  This  was  paid  from  the  State  printing  fund. 

New  work  undertaken  by  this  survey  included  an  investigation  of  the 
clay  deposits  of  the  state  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  the  extent  of  each 
deposit  and  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  best  suited;  also  an  investigation  of 
coal  mining  in  the  state,  for  the  purpose  of  conserving  the  supply  and  im- 
proving the  methods  of  mining.  In  cooperation  with  the  Federal  survey  the 
state  survey  was  to  make  a  study  of  the  water  powers  of  the  state. 

An  appropriation  of  $7,500  for  the  Geological  Survey  was  made  at  the 
regular  session  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1911,  but  was  vetoed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, preventing  the  completion  of  the  clay  report,  work  on  which  was  be- 
gun in  1909.  Professor  A.  A.  Steel's  report  on  coal  was  completed  at  private 
expense  and  published  in  1912. 

Since  1912  there  has  been  no  appropriation  for  further  geological  work 
and  the  Professor  of  Geology  at  the  State  University  has  carried  on  the 
work  of  answering  inquiries  as  he  found  time  in  the  conduct  of  his  regular 
class  work. 

Fortunately  a  few  of  Dr.  Branncr's  reports,  unpublished  at  the  time 
of  the  abandonment  of  the  Survey,  •have  become  available  through  the  gen- 
erosity of  the  author  in  tendering  the  information  to  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey,  under  whose  authority  these  valuable  bulletins  have 
been  published.  While  these  are  helpful  to  science,  they  do  not  supply 
the  local  need  of  authentic  information  and  the  state  has  been  without  print- 
ed matter  of  any  kind  dealing  with  the  important  subject  of  minerals. 

So  many  calls  have  been  made  upon  the  department  for  specific  or  gen- 
eral information,  which  required  the  searching  of  authorities  and  the  mak- 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  11 


ing  of  tedious  and  not  always  complete  replies,  that  the  commissioner  con- 
cluded to  publish  a  summary  of  the  various  reports,  issued  by  the  state  and 
obtained  from  the  government,  in  which  the  mineral  resources  of  Arkansas 
are  treated,  in  as  convenient  a  form  as  the  limited  allowance  for  the  printing 
expense  would  permit. 

At  the  outset  of  the  undertaking  it  was  not  hoped  to  include  in  the 
bulletin  any  new  contributions  to  the  geological  literature  of  the  state,  but 
as  the  work  progressed  much  encouragement  was  received,  especially  from 
those  high  in  scientific  authority,  and  as  a  result  there  has  been  obtained 
information  of  the  greatest  value  never  before  published.  This  new  matter 
includes  chapters  on  Petroleum  and  Natural  Gas,  one  by  Doctor  Branner 
and  another  by  Doctor  Drake,  the  latter  being  accompanied  by  a  map, 
showing  the  favorable  and  unfavorable  areas,  such  as  will  prove  a  useful 
guide  in  the  future  for  those  who  are  in  search  of  these  minerals. 

This  material,  with  the  additional  matter  condensed  from  the  pre- 
viously published  reports,  presents  enough  of  the  principal  facts  to  give 
the  layman  at  least  a  fair  idea  of  the  extent,  location  and  probable  value  of 
any  mineral  known  to  be  present  in  the  state,  and,  fortunately,  there  has 
been  found  room  for  a  bibliography  of  Arkansas  geology  that  will  enable 
anyone  who  is  sufficiently  interested  to  pursue  the  study  through  a  con- 
siderable list  of  books  and  reports. 

The  collecting  and  assembly  of  this  material  has  largely  been  work 
of  an  editorial  nature,  for  the  problem  was  to  select  the  more  important 
features  of  each  report  or  paper  and  arrange  it  in  its  proper  order,  and  by 
the  addition  of  photographs  and  reference  notes,  to  make  each  subject  com- 
prehensive and  useful  for  practical  present-day  purposes.  Care  has  been 
taken  to  quote  the  authors  literally  rather  than  to  attempt  to  summarize  in 
new  language  the  meanings  they  sought  to  convey.  Geology  is  one  of  the 
most  intricate  of  sciences  and  it  is  safest  not  to  tamper  with  what  the  great 
writers  have  set  down. 

After  the  matter  had  been  prepared  and  carefully  checked  it  was  sub- 
mitted for  criticism  to  Dr.  John  C.  Branner,  former  state  geologist,  Dr.  N.  F. 
Drake,  the  present  state  geologist;  and  Prof.  A.  A.  Steel,  acting  professor 
at  the  University  of  Arkansas.  A  chapter  on  The  Geology  and  General 
Topographical  Features  of  Arkansas  was  prepared  with  the  permission  of 
the  Director  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  by  H.  D.  Miser,  a 
member  of  the  Survey  and  one  of  the  ablest  authorities  on  the  geology 
of  Arkansas.  The  cooperation  of  these  trained  geologists  has  enabled  the 
department  to  present  this  bulletin  in  a  much  more  perfect  arrangement 
than  would  have  been  possible  had  the  manuscript  not  had  the  scrutiny  of 
experts. 

It  has  been  thought  well  to  include  in  this  volume,  and  in  fact  to  make 
its  principal  feature,  an  article  recently  contributed  by  Doctor  Branner  to 
the  Arkansas  Gazette,  in  which  a  plea  is  made  for  a  new  geological  survey 
of  Arkansas  and  valuable  suggestions  made  for  obtaining  the  substantial 
means  with  which  to  conduct  such  work. 


12  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


There  is  nothing  that  Arkansas  needs  so  much  as  a  new  geological  sur- 
vey. Such  information  as  a  new  survey  would  bring  forth  will  serve  to  at- 
tract capital  and  guide  the  forces  that  will  develop  the  mineral  resources  of 
the  state.  It  would  be  a  splendid  thing  if  such  a  survey  could  be  made  while 
the  state  has  the  opportunity  to  obtain  the  counsel  and  advice  of  such  emi- 
nent men  as  Doctor  Branner  and  Doctor  Drake. 

Millions  of  dollars  are  being  spent  in  prospecting  for  oil  and  gas  in  Ar- 
kansas at  the  present  time.  If  the  state  was  doing  what  Oklahoma,  Texas 
and  Louisiana  are  doing  it  would  not  only  direct  these  energies  to  conserve 
the  capital  of  investors,  but  it  would  safe-guard  the  interests  of  the  com- 
monwealth in  these  great  natural  resources,  the  revelation  of  which  will 
enrich  the  state. 

The  meagre  information  contained  in  this  synopsis  of  the  geologic  lore 
of  the  state  is  the  strongest  argument  for  the  need  of  an  appropriation  of  a 
sum  sufficient  to  establish  and  maintain  a  permanent  geological  corps  for 
the  making  of  a  thorough  and  accurate  inventory  of  the  state's  mineral 
wealth,  such  as  would  benefit  every  county  in  the  state.  It  should  be  the 
duty  of  this  survey  to  collect  records  of  all  deep  well  drillings  and  to  co- 
operate with  the  Federal  government  in  completing  a  soil  survey  of  the  State 
that  would  be  helpful  in  the  agricultural  development  of  Arkansas. 

Those  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  state's  mineral  resources  may,  by 
a  reading  of  this  volume,  form  a  higher  estimate  of  ttieir  value  for  there 
are  vast  stores  of  wealth  yet  to  be  uncovered  regarding  which  the  people  of 
Arkansas,  because  of  a  want  of  literature  on  the  subject,  have  had  an  op- 
portunity to  learn  very  little. 

Doctor  Branner,  Doctor  Purdue,  Doctor  Drake,  Professor  Steel,  Hugh 
D.  Miser  and  others  have  laid  the  foundation  for  a  permanent  and  useful 
work.  They  have  pioneered  a  field  rich  in  possibilities  and  opened  a  way 
to  opportunities  which  the  state  would  be  deemed  recreant  in  its  duty  to  the 
public  if  it  did  not  take  advantage  of  by  the  closest  study  and  most  persis- 
tent research,  intelligently  conducted  by  geologists  of  the  future  equal  in 
training  and  ability  to  those  of  the  past.  Upon  the  work  that  has  been  ac- 
complished there  can  be  built  greater  structures,  for  Arkansas  in  mineral 
resources  is  one  of  the  richest  states  and  the  products  of  her  mines  and 
quarries  form  no  small  part  of  the  state's  contribution  to  the  material  wealth 
of  the  nation. 


Commissioner  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture. 


Little  Rock,  Ark., 
June  20,  1920. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


13 


DOCTOR  JOHN   C.   BRANNER, 

President    Emeritus,    Leland   Stanford    University,   California; 
Former  State  Geologist  of  Arkansas. 


DR.  BRANNER  OUTLINES  WORK  FOR  NEW 
GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


Jim  G.  Ferguson,  Commissioner 

Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture 

Dear  Sir: 

I  am  often  asked  what  remains  to  be  done  on  the  geology 
of  the  State  of  Arkansas.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  answer 
this  question  comprehensively  in  a  few  words,  but  it  may  be 
worth  while  to  mention  heie  some  of  the  subjects  that  require 
first  attention: 

1.  Bring  up  to  date  the  work  on  the  coal  lands  and  publish 
the  report. 

2.  Report  on  the  petroleum   and  natural  gas  resources. 

3.  Report  on  the  fertilizers. 

4.  Report  on  the  soils  cf  the  state,  their  origin,  distribu- 
tion and  treatment. 

5.  Report  on  the  clavs,  kaolins  and  fuller-  earths 

6.  Revise    and    publi-h    the    report    on   the    Lower    Coal 
Measures. 

7.  Report  on  the  structural  materials  including  Portland1 
cement. 

8.  Report    on    the    slate    water    >upplv    including    under- 
ground   water-. 

9.  A   comprehensive    \vork   on    the   general    geology    and 
geologic  history  of  the  state. 

10.  The    preparation    and    publication    of    a    large    scale 
topographic  and  geologic  map  of  the  state. 


The  work  to  be  done  and  the  order  of  its  doing, 
must   depend    to    some   extent    on    developments    a<    the    work 
progresses. 


C. 
<7 


Stanford  I'niversity.  California, 
June  17,  liVJn. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  15 

INCIDENTS  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL 

SURVEY  OF  ARKANSAS,  and  SOME  CONCLUSIONS 

TO  BE  DRAWN  THEREFROM. 

By  John  C.  Branner,  Former  State  Geologist  of  Arkansas. 

What  I  may  here  say  stands  in  great  need  of  indulgence,  for  my  attach- 
ment to  the  people  of  Arkansas  and  my  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  state 
can  scarcely  turn  round  in  the  narrow  space  allotted  to  this  brief  paper. 

Thirty-two  years  ago,  I  was  appointed  state  geologist  of  Arkansas  by 
Governor  Simon  P.  Hughes  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office  June  24, 
1887.  I  was  reappointed  by  Governor  Eagle  in  1889,  and  again  in  1891,  and 
held  the  office  until  1893.  During  those  six  years  the  survey  published 
eighteen  volumes  of  reports,  sixty  maps,  and  6,365  pages  of  text,  at  an  ex- 
pense to  the  state  of  about  $100,000. 

Though  the  work  of  the  survey  was  far  from  complete  when  the  or- 
ganization was  abolished  by  the  legislature  in  1893,  and  though  some  of  the 
most  important  of  its  reports  were  never  published,  and  still  others  were 
never  even  written,  the  people  of  the  state  seem  to  think  the  survey  was 
well  worth  while,  that  it  was  instrumental  in  directing  attention  to  the  val- 
uable mineral  resources  of  the  state,  in  bringing  in  the  capital  necessary  to 
the  development  of  several  of  these  resources,  and  in  increasing  the  value 
of  the  taxable  property  of  the  state. 

At  the  request,  therefore,  of  the  editor  of  the  Arkansas  Gazette,  I  venture 
to  offer  the  people  of  the  state  the  benefit  of  a  life's  experience  in  dealing 
with  mineral  resources  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  in  order  to  point  the 
way  to  further  developments  of  the  resources  of  Arkansas. 

The  success  of  a  state  geological  survey  depends  upon  the  cooperation 
of  what  may  be  called  two  factors,  or  two  sets  of  muscles.  One  of  these  is 
legislative,  the  other  is  executive.  To  put  it  differently,  the  state  legislature 
must  provide  the  laws  and  make  the  appropriations  necessary  for  carrying 
on  the  work  and  for  publishing  the  results,  while  the  geologist  must  do  the 
work  and  put  his  results  in  such  shape  as  to  make  them  available  to  the 
public.  The  first  move  must,  therefore,  come  from  some  member  or  members 
of  the  state  legislature  who  are  willing  and  able  to  give  their  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  details  of  drawing  up,  introducing,  and  piloting  the  necessary  bill 
or  bills  through  the  various  committees  and  through  both  houses  of  the  legis- 
lature. 

Since  the  state  survey  was  abolished  in  1893  many  attempts  have  been 
made  to  revive  it,  but  these  efforts  have  invariably  failed,  not  for  lack  of  cor- 
dial moral  support,  but  simply  because  there  was  a  general  impression  that 
such  a  bill  would  go  through  on  account  of  its  obvious  value  and  importance. 
But  it  never  did,  and  it  never  will  go  through  in  this  way. 

It  is  worth  while  recalling  briefly  in  this  connection  the  history  of  the 
former  state  geological  surveys.  The  first  geological  survey  of  the  state 
was  made  by  Dr.  David  Dale  Owen  between  1857  and  1860,  and  Dr.  Owen 
published  two  volumes  of  reports,  a  total  of  687  pages.  His  work  was  well 
done  and  so  far  as  it  went,  it  was  found  to  be  perfectly  trustworthy,  and  the 
cost  to  the  state  was  $16,800. 


18  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

In  1871-3  another  survey  was  undertaken  with  W.  F.  Roberts,  Sr.,  as 
state  geologist,  and  George  Haddock  assistant  geologist.  The  only  publica- 
tion made  by  these  geologists  was  a  pamphlet  of  63  pages  by  George  Had- 
dock. The  state's  appropriation  for  the  work  was  $15,000. 

In  1873-4  the  survey  was  continued  under  George  Haddock,  later  under 
W.  C.  Hazeldine,  and  still  later  under  Arnold  Syberg.  Their  appropriations 
amounted  to  $19,628,  but  they  made  no  report.  It  is  to  be  noted  regarding 
these  surveys  that  they  cover  a  period  of  seven  years,  that  they  cost  the 
state  $51,428  but  that,  with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Owen's  reports,  the  work 
was  of  no  value.  This  fable  teaches  something  worth  keeping  in  mind  in 
connection  with  state  geological  surveys. 

There  followed  a  period  of  thirteen  years  in  which  the  state  was  entirely 
without  a  state  geologist.  In  1886  and  1887  there  was  great  excitement 
through  the  western  part  of  the  state,  especially  in  Garland  and  Montgom- 
ery counties,  in  regard  to  the  supposed  discovery  of  gold,  and  it  seems  quite 
probable  that  the  excitement,  misleading  as  it  turned  out  to  be,  led  to  the 
provisions  made  by  the  legislature  of  1887  for  a  new  state  survey.  In  any 
case  the  political  credit  for  the  geological  work  done  in  Arkansas  between 
1867  and  1893  belongs  to  Hon.  Elias  W.  Rector  of  Hot  Springs,  a  member 
of  the  lower  house,  who  not  only  drew  up  the  bill  passed  by  the  legislature 
of  1887  providing  for  the  survey,  but  who  guided  every  step  of  its  way  through 
the  committees  and  through  both  houses. 

In  the  legislature  of  1889,  and  in  spite  of  the  most  violent  opposition 
from  the  so-called  "gold  miners"  and  from  disappointed  political  hangers-on, 
Colonel  Rector  put  through  amendments  that  made  the  survey  a  permanent 
state  institution,  and  provided  much  needed  assistance.  From  the  very  out- 
set Colonel  Rector  left  nothing  to  chance  or  to  general  interests,  but  gave 
his  undivided  personal  attention  to  the  bills  at  every  step  of  the  way.  When 
some  one  takes  up  the  matter  of  a  revival  of  the  state  survey  in  Arkansas 
with  the  same  intelligence  and  the  same  enthusiasm,  the  matter  will  go 
through,  but  otherwise  it  never  can  and  it  never  will. 

While  speaking  of  the  indispensible  work  of  the  legislature,  I  venture  to 
refer  to  a  kind  of  opposition  to  such  work  not  infrequently  met  with  among 
its  members.  There  is  a  natural  and  proper  disposition  among  members  of 
the  legislature  to  look  out  for  what  are  usually  known  as  local  interests. 
For  example,  a  representative  from  the  Mississippi  river  bottoms  is  liable  to 
feel  that  his  section  of  the  state  is  not  interested  in  the  coal  mines  of  Sebas- 
tian county,  in  the  gas  wells  of  Crawford  county,  in  the  chalk  beds  of  Little 
river,  or  the  bauxite  beds  of  Saline  and  Pulaski.  But  in  reality  the  interests 
of  a  state  are  as  broad  as  the  state  itself,  and  it  is  as  much  the  duty  of  the 
member  from  Chicot  or  Phillips  county  to  support  a  state  survey  as  it  is  for 
members  from  the  mineral  bearing  counties  to  support  the  enterprises  in 
which  the  river  bottoms  are  more  directly  concerned. 

Taking  a  broad  view  of  such  matters,  they  are  all  state  questions,  and 
deserve  to  be  treated  broadly,  and  with  a  view  to  dealing  justly  with  every 
interest  and  with  every  person  in  the  state.  Like  geology  itself,  the  political 
problem  is  a  large  one,  and  it  needs  to  be  dealt  with  in  a  large  way. 

The  executive  part  of  the  geological  work  necessarily  rests  chiefly  in  the 
hands  of  the  state  geologist.  It  goes  without  saying  that  he  should  be  a  man 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


17 


THE   LATE   DOCTOR  A.   H.   PURDUE, 

Former   State    Geologist   of   Arkansas  and    at   the   time    of    his   death 
State    Geologist   of   Tennessee. 


18  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


of  proper  scientific  training,  of  sound  judgment,  and  of  upright  principles. 
When  given  the  necessary  funds  to  carry  on  his  work,  he  should  be  allowed 
to  do  that  work  in  his  own  way,  but  he  should  also  be  given  the  cordial  moral 
and  official  support  to  which  his  position  entitles  him.  For  one  of  his  first 
duties  is  to  protect  the  legitimate  interests  and  the  good  name  of  the  state 
itself,  and  to  do  that  effectively  he  must  have  the  backing  of  those  who  are 
in  a  position  to  give  it  to  him. 

When,  after  careful  examination,  it  was  found  by  the  geological  survey 
in  1888  that  the  hundreds  of  so-called  gold  mines  of  Montgomery  and  Gar- 
land counties  were  mostly  worthless,  or  even  fraudulent,  the  results  were  re- 
ported to  Governor  Hughes.  It  was  as  disagreeable  a  piece  of  work  as  ever 
falls  to  the  lot  of  a  governor  or  a  state  geologist.  Did  Governor  Hughes 
hesitate  about  what  was  to  be  done?  Not  the  slightest.  He  simply  asked: 
"Are  you  sure  of  the  correctness  of  your  conclusions?"  "I  am,"  said  I 
"Then  go  ahead  and  publish  them;  I'll  back  you,"  said  he,  and  he  did  back 
me  against  companies  and  interests  capitalized  for  more  than  a  hundred  and 
thirteen  millions  of  dollars! 

Some  accounts  of  these  matters  were  published  in  the  Arkansas  Gazette 
of  August  9,  1888,  and  up  to  the  end  of  October  of  that  year,  and  in  the  En- 
gineering and  Mining  Journal  of  New  York  for  August  18  and  for  October 
20,  1888. 

But  back  of  the  governor  and  back  of  the  legislature,  the  people  must 
support  their  own  representatives  and  their  own  geologists.  To  that  end 
they  should  be  reminded  that  they  cannot  have  the  benefit  of  science  with- 
out paying  for  it,  any  more  than  they  can  raise  a  crop  without  planting  the 
necessary  seed  and  looking  after  it.  And  it  is  especially  important  that  the 
work  be  so  done  that  it  will  benefit  the  land  owners  and  the  public  rather 
than  that  it  be  done  for  the  benefit  of  a  few  individuals. 

The  farmers  naturally  ask  what  they  are  to  get  out  of  appropriations 
for  geology,  and  they  are  apt  to  be  impatient  of  the  hard  words  and  queer 
ways  of  the  geologists.  One  of  my  assistants,  on  meeting  a  farmer  on  the 
wooded  slopes  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  was  asked  by  him  if  he  had  found 
any  "mineral."  The  assistant  told  him  quite  truthfully  that  he  was  not  look- 
ing for  "mineral."  The  farmer  felt  not  only  amazed,  but  wronged,  and  asked 
pointedly:  "Well,  if  you  are  not  looking  for  mineral,  what  in  blank  are  you 
looking  for?"  Such  a  question  is  perfectly  frank  and  honest,  and  it  is  entitled 
to  an  equally  frank  and  honest  answer,  which  is  easily  given.  The  scientific 
methods  used  by  the  geologist  do  not  always  permit  him  to  approach  his 
problem  directly.  Even  a  man  who  goes  fishing  has  to  spend  some  of  his 
time  in  the  indirect  occupation  of  finding  bait. 

The  farmers  have  so  often  been  the  victims  of  selfishness  that  they  are 
naturally  suspicious  of  devices  for  getting  big  state  appropriations  from 
which  they  receive  little  or  no  benefit.  They  are  rarely  interested  in  those 
intangible  mineral  resources  so  much  talked  about  in  connection  with  a  geo- 
logical survey,  and  from  which  they  receive  little  or  no  direct  benefit;  but 
unfortunately  their  very  suspicions  have  been  turned  to  their  own  disadvan- 
tage, and  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  entire  state  in  this  matter  of  a  geological 
survey.  In  many  places  in  Arkansas  agricultural  lands  were  found  by  the 
state  geologist  to  be  of  great  value  for  the  coal  beneath  them.  In  many 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  19 


cases  these  lands  that  were  worth  many  thousands  of  dollars  an  acre  on 
account  of  the  coal,  were  sold  for  ten  to  twenty  dollars  an  acre  because 
the  report  of  the  state  geologist  on  coal  was  never  published.  Prospective 
buyers  of  suc'h  lands  put  their  own  experts  in  the  field  to  ascertain  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  coal,  while  they  (the  buyers)  joined  in  the  farmers'  chorus 
for  economy  in  state  expenditures,  and  so  kept  from  being  published  the 
state  report  that  would  have  shown  the  farmers  the  value  of  their  own  lands 
which  they  were  readily  persuaded  to  sell  for  a  small  fraction  of  their  real 
value. 

The  duties  of  the  state  geologist  cannot  all  be  set  down  in  black  and 
white.  Some  of  them  are  obvious  enough,  but  others  are  not  so  easily  de- 
nned. But  too  much  should  not  be  expected  of  him. 

A  geologist  cannot  find  resources  that  do  not  exist;  he  can  only  point 
them  out  when  and  where  they  do  exist.  But  while  he  must  devote  himself  to 
a  broad  study,  and  to  the  setting  forth  of  the  state's  available  resources,  he 
must  necessarily  do  a  good  deal  of  what  may  be  termed  dead  work,  or  work  of 
negative  value.  For  it  is  quite  as  much  his  duty  to  determine  What  the  state 
has  not  as  it  is  to  determine  what  it  does  have.  He  should  also  be  wise 
enough  to  keep  the  organization  and  work  of  the  survey  out  of  politics  and 
out  of  religion,  for  the  day  he  is  expected  to  provide  a  position  on  the  survey 
for  any  one  for  any  reason  besides  his  fitness  to  do  the  work  of  the  survey, 
the  value  of  the  work  will  begin  to  decline. 

With  a  single  exception  the  young  men  who  served  as  assistants  during 
my  term  of  office  as  state  geologist  were  chosen  solely  because  they  were 
capable  of  doing  the  work  required  of  them.  That  one  exception  was  a  po- 
litical roustabout  who  was  taken  on  faith,  and  Vao  was  permitted  to  depart 
in  peace  when  he  was  found  unable  to  do  his  work.  Later  he  came  to  me 
for  subscriptions  to  political  campaign  funds,  and  when  I  explained  that  I 
was  in  science,  not  in  politics,  he  endeavored  to  prevent  my  reappointment 
by  Governor  Eagle  on  the  ground  that  I  was  politically  off  color.  The  gov- 
ernor frankly  spoke  to  me  about  it,  but  wlien  I  told  him  I  didn't  know  the 
political  opinion  of  a  single  man  on  the  survey,  and  that  I  was  there  solely 
as  a  geologist,  he  renewed  the  appointment  without  further  question. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  I  had  nothing  to  fear  on  the  score  of  politics,  but 
no  self-respecting  geologist  could  afford  to  have  his  assistants  dismissed 
for  views  that  had  no  direct  bearing  on  the  work  they  were  doing  for  the 
state,  nor  could  the  state  geologist  maintain  his  self-respect  or  his  scientific 
standing  if  he  had  to  watch  the  political  skies  when  there  was  so  much  work 
to  be  done  under  his  feet. 

The  question  is  often  asked  whether  the  geological  survey  of  the  state 
should  be  revived.  Some  people  think  the  mineral  resources  of  the  state  can 
take  care  of  themselves,  and  that  the  people's  money  should  not  be  spent 
on  work  that  private  enterprises  and  corporations  would  be  glad  to  do  at 
their  own  expense.  Those  \v'ho  hold  such  views  are  both  right  and  wrong; 
a  sharp  line  is  to  be  drawji  between  doing  work  to  help  private  parties  and 
work  to  help  the  state  in  a  broad  sense. 

As  a  rule  capital  is  disposed  to  'hesitate  about  investing  in  a  state  where 
there  is  no  information  available  about  its  resources,  and  no  way  to  find 
out  about  them  except  by  the  expenditure  of  its  own  funds.  If  a  state  wants 


20  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


to  borrow  money,  it  knows  that  it  must  open  up  its  books,  and  if  it  wants 
to  interest  capital  in  mines  or  in  mineral  resources,  it  must  open  up  its  geol- 
ogy. The  private  corporation  that  can  send  its  own  experts  into  the  field 
and  ascertain  the  values  of  lands  justly  regards  the  information  thus  gained 
as  its  own  private  property,  and  the  valuable  lands  may  be  bought  up  without 
the  owners  knowing  or  suspecting  what  they  are  disposing  of.  But  when  such 
work  is  done  by  the  state  geologist,  the  results  belong  to  the  state,  and  the 
owners  of  the  lands  get  the  benefit  of  work  that  they  could  not  afford  to  have 
done  at  their  own  expense.  It  is  also  worth  remembering  that  if  a  state 
has  mineral  resources  and  doesn't  take  the  trouble  to  ascertain  their  extent 
and  importance,  the  rest  of  the  world  is  justified  in  concluding  that  they  are 
without  importance. 

The  idea  that  one  can  advertise  what  he  has,  or  even  what  he  has  not, 
if  he  will  only  shout  loud  enough  and  use  ink  enough,  is  no  longer  true  of 
mineral  resources.  The  people  of  Arkansas  have  had  enough  experience  of 
bogus  mines  to  know  that  precise  measurements  and  exact  data  are  worth 
vastly  more  than  black-face  type  and  questionable  generalizations.  And  it 
is  hoped  that  the  people  will  realize  that  the  sound  and  abundant  seed  they 
plant  today  will  bear  sound  and  abundant  fruit  for  many  generations  to 
come.  If  they  plant  not,  neither  shall  they  reap. 

Stanford  University,  California,  September  3,  1919. 


GEOLOGY  AND  GENERAL  TOPOGRAPHIC 
FEATURES  OF  ARKANSAS. 


By  Hugh  D.  Miser 


Published  by  Permission  of  the  Director  of  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey.    The  Information  Compiled  for  Use  in  this  Chapter  Has  Been 
Taken  from    Many   Reports,   Some   of  Which   Have   Not 
Been  Published.      The  Reports  that  Have  Been 
Used  are  Listed  at  the  End  of  the  Chapter 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  topographic  features  of  Arkansas  reveal  considerable  diversity  and 
may  be  grouped  into  several  natural  divisions  which  are  briefly  described 
below. 

A  line  passing  from  a  point  near  the  northeast  corner  of  the  State  in  a 
general  southwesterly  direction  through  Little  Rock  to  Arkadelphia,  Clark 
County,  and  thence  nearly  due  west  through  De  Queen,  Sevier  County,  di- 
vides the  State  into  nearly  equal  parts  or  halves.  The  southeast  half  of  the 
State  is  a  comparatively  low  plain  which  is  a  part  of  a  broad  belt  of  country 
known  as  the  Gulf  Coastal  Plain.  This  plain  in  Arkansas  ranges  in  elevation 
from  100  to  700  feet  above  sea  level  and  is  divisible  into  a  series  of  rolling 
uplands,  lying  200  to  700  feet  above  sea  level,  and  a  series  of  nearly  level  to 
gently  rolling  valleys  and  lowlands  lying  100  to  300  feet  above  sea  level. 
Both  the  uplands  and  lowlands  have  a  gentle  southward  slope.  Crowleys 
Ridge  is  the  most  prominent  physiographic  feature  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  State.  It  is  one-half  to  12  miles  wide  and  extends  from  Helena,  Phil- 
lips County,  northward  into  Missouri,  though  it  is  cut  in  two  by  gaps  at 
some  places.  The  crest  of  the  ridge  is  400  feet  above  sea  level  near  Helena 
but  it  gradually  rises  northward  and  is  500  feet  above  sea  level  in  Clay 
County. 

Most  of  the  northwest  half  of  the  State  is  comparatively  elevated,  and  is 
divided  by  the  Arkansas  River  Valley  into  the  Ozark  region  (including  the 
Boston  Mountains)  on  the  north  and  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region  on  the 
south. 

The  part  of  the  Ozark  region  lying  north  of  .the  Boston  Mountains  is 
known  as  the  Ozark  Plateau  and  occupies  a  belt,  about  40  miles  wide,  along 
the  northern  border  of  the  State.  This  belt  is  made  up  of  two  plateaus. 
The  lowest  one  of  these — the  Salem  Plateau — is  in  Ordovician  rocks  and 
presents  an  exceedingly  rough  topography.  It  forms  a  triangle  whose  apex 
is  near  Newport,  Jackson  County,  and  whose  base  lies  on  the  Missouri-Ar- 
kansas line  from  Boone  County  to  the  east  end  of  Randolph  County,  but  the 
basin-like  area  in  which  Berryville,  Carroll  County,  is  situated  is  also  a  part 
of  this  plateau. 


22  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  next  higher  plateau,  known  as  the  Springfield  Plateau,  is  formed 
by  resistant  cherty  rocks  of  Mississippian  age,  and  lies  between  the  above- 
indicated  triangle  and  the  north-facing  escarpment  of  the  Boston  Mountains. 
It  is  separated  from  the  lower  plateau  by  a  sinuous  escarpment  which  at- 
tains a  height  of  400  feet  near  Eureka  Springs,  Carroll  County.  Much  of 
this  pleateau  is  a  gently  rolling  country  but  large  parts  of  it  are  cut  by 
numerous  canyon-like  valleys.  Most  of  its  surface  stands  between  1,000  and 
1,500  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  Boston  Mountains  overlook  the  Springfield  Plateau  from  an  ir- 
regular north-facing  escarpment  500  to  700  feet  in  height  and  many  outlying 
peaks  of  these  mountains  stand  out  on  the  Springfield  Plateau.  Most  of  the 
southern  slope  of  the  mountains  is  less  precipitous  and  passes  off  gradually 
into  the  Arkansas  Valley,  though  at  many  places  it  is  marked  by  abrupt  de- 
scents and  is  broken  by  steep-sided  canyon-like  valleys.  This  mountainous 
region  has  an  average  width  north  and  south  of  about  35  miles,  and  extends 
east  and  west  a  distance  of  approximately  200  miles,  from  the  valley  of 
Neosho  (Grand)  River  in  Oklahoma  eastward  to  the  Coastal  Plain  near 
Batesville,  Ark.  The  mountain  tops  form  a  greatly  dissected  tableland, 
which  rises  2,200  feet  above  sea  level  and  1,700  feet  or  more  above  the  flood 
plain  of  Arkansas  River,  though  a  few  remnants  along  the  north  side  stand 
2,300  to  2,400  feet  above  sea  level.  The  mountains  are  rather  rugged  and 
have  steep  slopes  and  sharp  projecting  spurs  separated  by  narrow  ravines, 
500  to  1,400  feet  deep.  The  slopes  are  broken  at  many  places  by  vertical  or 
nearly  vertical  cliffs,  which  are  due  to  the  alternation  of  hard  and  soft  beds 
of  rock.  Some  of  the  cliffs  are  more  than  100  feet  high. 

The  Arkansas  Valley  is  30  to  40  miles  wide  and  extends  from  the  vi- 
cinity of  Little  Rock  westward  into  Oklahoma.  It  is  a  nearly  level  plain, 
most  of  which  is  between  300  and  600  feet  above  sea  level;  but  rising  above 
it  there  are  a  great  many  ridges  and  several  mountains  with  a  nearly  east- 
west  trend.  Among  the  mountains  are  Sugarloaf,  Poteau,  Petit  Jean,  Maga- 
zine, Whiteoak,  and  Big  Kock  mountains  and  Maumelle  Pinnacle.  Of  these 
Magazine  Mountain,  standing  2,823  feet  above  sea  level  and  2,300  feet  above 
the  surrounding  country,  is  the  highest  and  is  also  the  highest  mountain  in 
Arkansas.  The  statement  is  made  on  page  551  of  the  Encyclopedia  Brir- 
annica  (Eleventh  edition,  1910))  that  this  mountain  is  the  "highest  point 
between  the  Alleghenies  and  the  Rockies."  A  still  higher  point,  as  shown 
on  the  Winding  Stair  topographic  map  of  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey, is  the  west  end  of  Rich  Mountain  near  Page,  Leflore  County,  Okla- 
homa; it  is  between  2,850  and  2,900  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  Ouachita  Mountain  region  is  50  to  60  miles  wide  and  extends  from 
the  vicinity  of  Little  Rock  westward  into  Oklahoma,  It  is  composed  of 
numerous,  nearly  east-west  ridges,  several  intermontane  basins,  and  a  dis- 
sected piedmont  plateau,,  15  miles  wide,  along  its  southern  border.  The 
ridges  are  narrow  and  parallel  and  have'  steep  slopes  and  sharp  straight 
even  crests.  Just  west  of  Little  Rock  they  are  low,  scarcely  exceeding  750 
feet  above  sea  level  or  more  than  250  feet  above  the  valleys,  but  they  grad- 
ually increase  in  height  to  the  west  and  on  the  western  border  of  the  State 
near  Mena,  Polk  County,  some  of  the  highest  ridges  attain  an  elevation  of 
2,750  to  2,800  feet  above  sea  level  or  about  1.750  feet  above  the  valleys.  The 
intermontane  basins  are  wide  valley  areas  whose  upland  surfaces  range 
from  about  5(W  to  1250  feet  above  sea  level,  being  lowest  at  the  east  end 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


23 


DOCTOR    N.   F.    DRAKE, 
State  Geologist  of  Arkansas. 


24  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


of  the  region  and  highest  near  the  west  border  of  the  state,  and  they  are 
channeled  by  both  deep  and  shallow  valleys.  Mena,  in  Polk  County,  Mount 
Ida,  in  Montgomery  County  and  the  southern  part  of  the  city  of  Hot  Springs 
are  located  in  such  basins.  The  piedmont  plateau  is  known  as  the  Athens 
plateau,  receiving  its  name  from  Athens,  Howard  County.  It  occupies  a  belt 
of  country  about  15  miles  wide,  lying  between  the  Ouachita  mountains  on  the 
north  and  the  Coastal  Plain  on  the  south,  and  extending  from  near  Arkadel- 
phia,  Clark  County,  westward  into  Oklahoma.  When  the  plateau  is  viewed 
from  the  crests  of  tSie  mountains  to  the  north  is  appears  to  be  a  practically 
level  plain  ending  abruptly  against  the  mountains,  but  when  it  is  crossed 
very  little  level  country  is  found;  the  rest  is  greatly  dissected  by  narrow 
crooked  valleys  of  southward-flowing  trunk  streams  and  by  numerous  east- 
west  valleys  of  small  tributary  streams.  The  upland  surface  of  this  plateau 
ranges  from  400  to  1,100  feet  above  sea  level,  being  lowest  at  its  east  end  and 
along  its  south  side,  and  highest  on  the  north  side  in  Pike.  Howard,  and 
Polk  counties. 

GEOLOGY 

GENERAL    FEATURES. 

The  several  natural  divisions  of  the  State  differ  considerably  not  only 
in  their  surface  features  but  in  the  character  and  age  of  their  rocks. 

The  exposed  rocks  of  the  Ozark  region  consist  chiefly  of  dolomites, 
limestones,  cherts,  sandstones,  and  shales,  ranging  in  age  from  Ordovician 
to  Pennsylvania!!.  The  rock  beds,  though  lying  nearly  flat,  have  a  slight 
southward  dip  which  is  disguised  in  parts  of  the  region  by  minor  folding  and 
by  a  considerable,  though  not  large,  number  of  faults.  The  youngest  forma- 
tions of  the  region  occupy  the  summits  of  the  Boston  Mountains  and  dip 
southward  from  these  mountains  to  the  Arkansas  Valley. 

The  rocks  in  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region  are  all  of  sedimentary  ori 
gin  with  the  exception  of  two  small  areas  of  igneous  rocks  and  their  assoc- 
iated dikes.  One  of  these  areas  is  at  Magnet  Cove,  Hot  Spring  County,  and 
the  other  at  Potash  Sulphur  Springs,  Garland  County.  The  igneous  rocks 
are  nephelite  syenites  and  related  types  and  were  intruded  into  the  sedimen- 
tary strata  late  in  the  Lower  Cretaceous  epoch  or  early  in  the  Upper  Cre- 
taceous epoch.  Some  of  the  igneous  dikes  at  and  near  Klondike,  Saline 
County,  have  been  decomposed  to  a  soft  earth  to  a  depth  of  about  200  feet 
below  the  surface,  and  this  earth  is  being;  mined  and  marketed  as  fuller's; 
earth.  The  sedimentary  rocks  consist  chiefly  of  cherts,  shales,  sandstones, 
and  novaculites;  they  are  24,000  feet  or  more  thick;  and  they  range  in  age 
from  Cambrian  to  Pennsylvanian.  At  or  near  the  close  of  the  Pennsylvanian 
epoch  they  were  subjected  to  intense  lateral  compression  movements  which 
have  produced  numerous  parallel,  closely  compressed,  nearly  east-west  folds 
and  a  considerable  number  of  faults.  As  a  result  of  these  movements  the 
strata  at  most  places  dip  at  angles  of  40°  or  more  from  the  horizontal.  The 
structure  of  the  region,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  that  of  a  vast  compound  anti- 
cline, which  is  known  to  geologists  as  an  anticlinorium.  The  principal  anti- 
cline extends  from  near  Little  Rock  to  the  vicinity  of  Mena.  In  general  the 
oldest  strata  are  exposed  near  the  middle  of  this  anticline  and  the  young- 
est northward  and  southward  therefrom,  but,  on  account  of  the  deformation 
of  the  strata  by  folding  and  faulting  much  alternation  of  older  and  younger 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  25 


beds  is  found  everywhere  in  going  in  a  northward  or  southward  direction 
across  the  region. 

The  Arkansas  Valley  lies  between  the  southward  monoclinal  slope  of 
the  Boston  Mountains  to  the  north  and  the  uplift  or  anticlinorium  of  the 
Ouachita  region  to  the  south  and  is  thus  a  synclinal  trough.  The  rocks  of 
the  valley  consist  of  24,000  feet  or  more  of  sandstones  and  shales  which  con- 
tain workable  beds  of  coal  over  much  of  its  western  part.  They  are  of  Penn- 
sylvanian  age,  though  some  of  the  oldest  rocks  exposed  on  the  south  side  of 
the  valley  are  probably  of  Mississippian  age.  The  strata  like  those  in  the 
Ouachita  Mountain  region,  were  compressed  at  or  near  the  close  of  the 
Pennsylvanian  epoch  into  east-west  folds  and  have  been  faulted  to  some  ex- 
tent, but  the  folding  has  been  less  intense  than  that  in  the  Ouachita  region. 
The  anticlines  are  generally  narrower  and  steeper  than  the  synclines;  there 
is  a  tendency  for  the  anticlines  to  be  steeper  on  their  north  sides;  and  the 
folding  becomes  more  gentle  toward  the  north.  The  structure  bears  a  close 
relation  to  the  topography,  the  long  narrow  ridges  indicating  moderately 
to  highly  inclined  rocks.  Buttelike  mountains,  such  as  Poteau,  Sugarloaf, 
and  Magazine  mountains,  indicate  practically  horizontal  rocks  in  synclinal 
basins. 

The  sedimentary  strata  underlying  the  surface  of  the  Gulf  Coastal  Plain 
are  chiefly  clays,  marls,  sands,  and  gravels,  and  are  of  Lower  Cretaceous, 
Upper  Cretaceous,  Tertiary,  and  Quaternary  ages.  They  lie  in  a  nearly  hori- 
zontal position,  though  they  have  a  general  dip  of  100  feet  or  less  to  the 
mile  to  the  south  and  southeast.  They  were  deposited  upon  a  fairly  smooth 
floor  of  Paleozoic  rocks.  This  floor  has  been  reached  in  deep  wells  at  Nash- 
ville, Howard  County,  and  at  other  places  near  the  northwestern  border  of 
the  Coastal  Plain,  but  over  most  of  the  southeast  half  of  the  State  it  has 
been  so  deeply  buried  that  it  has  not  been  reached  in  wells.  The  Cretaceous 
and  younger  strata  overlying  it  along  the  east  border  of  the  State  are  more 
than  2,500  feet  thick  and  those  along  the  south  border  are  more  than  3,000 
feet  thick. 

Intrusive  igneous  rocks  occur  in  the  Coastal  Plain  on  and  near  Fourche 
Mountain,  which  is  a  few  miles  south  of  Little  Rock,  and  in  small  areas  near 
Bryant  and  Bauxite  in  Saline  County.  They  consist  of  pulaskite  ("blue  gran- 
ite") and  nephelite  syenite  ("gray  granite")  and  several  other  related  var- 
ieties of  rock.  Associated  with  the  igneous  rocks  and  with  the  adjacent 
Tertiary  sediments  are  important  deposits  of  bauxite,  the  chief  ore  of  alum- 
inum. Other  igneous  rocks,  known  as  peridotite.  occur  in  four  small  areas 
near  Murfreesboro,  Pike  County.  The  largest  of  these,  so  far  as  known, 
contains  about  75  acres.  Much  of  the  peridotite  has  been  decomposed  to 
earth  and  soft  rock  to  a  depth  of  200  feet  or  more,  and  in  this  earth  and 
soft  rock  diamonds  have  been  found.  The  igneous  rocks  in  the  Coastal 
Plain,  like  those  in  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region,  were  intruded  late  in  the 
Lower  Cretaceous  epoch  or  early  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  epoch. 

The  sedimentary  rocks  of  Arkansas  have  been  carefully  studied  over 
much  of  the  State  and  have  been  grouped  into  numerous  formations  to 
which  names  have  been  applied.  By  means  of  the  fossils  in  them,  and  by 
the  determination  of  the  relations  of  the  strata  one  to  the  other,  they  are 
assigned  to  the  different  geologic  systems  and  series.  Some  rock  formations 
in  the  State  contain  no  fossils,  so  that  their  age  assignment  is  dependent  en- 


26  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


tirely  upon  their  relations  to  overlying  and  underlying  rocks  whose  ages 
have  been  determined  by  means  of  fossils.  There  are  many  minor  and  major 
unconformities  that  break  the  succession  of  the  rocks;  and  on  account  of  the 
geologic  events  that  produced  the  unconformities  many  rock  formations  thin 
out  and  are  absent  over  large  and  small  areas.  The  rocks  in  each  of  the 
natural  divisions  of  the  State  are  briefly  described  below  in  the  order  of 
their  age,  with  the  oldest  first  and  the  youngest  last. 

OZARK  REGION. 
ORDOVICIAN  SYSTEM. 

Jefferson  City  dolomite. — The  Jefferson  City  dolomite  is  exposed  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Marion  County  and  in  other  counties  farther  east,  and 
so  far  as  known  is  the  oldest  exposed  formation  in  northern  Arkansas.  It 
consists  of  at  least  300  or  400  feet  of  gray  dolomite  and  chert,  in  which  a 
few  fossils  have  been  found. 

Cotter  dolomite. — The  Cotter  dolomite,  500  feet  or  more  thick,  is  exposed 
over  large  areas  in  many  counties  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  but  has 
been  studied  in  greater  detail  west  of  Baxter  County  than  it  has  east  of  that 
county.  The  thickest  outcrops  are  in  northern  Boone  County  and  other 
counties  farther  east.  Berryville,  Carroll  County,  and  Cotter,  Baxter  County, 
from  which  the  formation  takes  its  name,  are  situated  on  the  dolomite.  The 
formation  consists  mainly  of  two  kinds  of  dolomite — a  fine-grained  earthy, 
white  to  buff  or  gray  variety  known  as  "cotton  rock/'  and  a  more  massive 
medium-grained  gray  variety  whose  weathered  surfaces  are  rough  and  dark. 
Besides  dolomite  it  contains  chert  that  is  sparingly  fossiliferous  and  also 
contains  thin  layers  of  sandstone  and  shale. 

Building  stone  is  quarried  from  the  formation  near  Beaver,  Carroll 
County.  It  is  compact  gray  magnesian  limestone  or  dolomite,  in  beds  from 
2  to  4  feet  t'hick.  The  best  beds  afford  durable  building  stone  of  pleasing 
color. 

Powell  limestone. — The  Powell  limestone,  0  to  200  feet  thick,  is  widely 
exposed  in  Benton,  Carroll,  Boone,  Marion,  Newton,  and  probably  other 
counties  farther  east,  but  is  absent  at  some  places  in  the  counties  here 
named.  It  is  a  fine-grained  gray  or  greenish-gray  magnesian  limestone, 
usually  free  from  fossils,  but  there  are  a  few  thin  beds  of  green  shale  and  at 
some  places  there  is  a  conglomerate  at  the  base.  The  name  of  the  forma- 
tion was  taken  from  the  abandoned  station  of  Powell,  a  short  distance  south- 
east of  Pyatt,  Marion  County. 

Everton  limestone. — The  Everton  limestone,  0  to  205  feet  thick,  is  widely 
exposed  in  Benton,  Carroll,  Madison,  Boone,  Newton,  Marion,  and  Searcy 
counties,  and  probably  others  farther  east.  It  is  thickest  in  Boone,  Newton, 
and  Marion  counties  and  thins  to  the  north,  west,  and  east.  It  takes  its  name 
from  Everton,  Boone  County,  where  it  is  well  exposed.  The  upper  part  of 
the  formation  is  115  feet  or  less  thick  and  is  composed  of  massive  compact 
dove-colored  limestone  and  some  friable  white  sandstone,  but  in  Marion 
County  much  of  the  limestone  contains  enough  magnesium  for  it  to  be  classed 
as  a  dolomite.  The  limestone  that  is  free  from  magnesium  is  suitable  for 
making  lime.  The  middle  part  of  the  formation  is  a  white  friable  sandstone 
in  massive  beds  and  is  known  as  the  Kings  River  sandstone  member,  re- 
ceiving its  name  from  Kings  River  in  Carroll  and  Madison  counties.  The 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  27 


sandstone  at  places  is  as  much  as  40  feet  thick  and  is  well  suited  for  the 
manufacture  of  plate  and  ordinary  glass.  The  lower  part  of  the  formation 
is  a  sandy  compact  dark-drab  magnesian  limestone,  known  as  the  Sneeds 
limestone  lentil,  and  varies  in  thickness  from  a  feather  edge  to  50  feet.  It 
is  not  as  widely  distributed  as  the  middle  and  upper  parts  of  the  Everton. 
The  known  exposures  are  in  Marion  and  Newton  counties.  The  limestone 
receives  its  name  from  Sneeds  Creek,  in  Newton  County,  on  which  it  is  ex- 
posed. 

St.  Peter  sandstone. — The  St.  Peter  sandstone — a  formation  which  is 
widely  distributed  in  the  upper  Mississippi  Valley— is  exposed  over  large 
areas  in  Carroll  County  and  most  of  the  other  counties  farther  east.  It  and 
the  Kings  River  sandstone  member  of  the  Everton  limestone  are  described 
in  the  reports  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  as  "saccharoidal  sand- 
stone." It  is  massive  and  friable,  is  white  or  cream  colored,  and  varies  in 
thickness  from  a  feather  edge  to  200  feet,  being  thickest  to  the  south  and 
east.  It  is  being  quarried  for  glass  sand  at  Guion,  Izard  County.  Outcrops 
of  this  sandstone  occur  in  many  of  the  picturesque  bluffs  along  Buffalo  and 
White  Rivers. 

Joachim  limestone. — The  Joachim  limestone,  0  to  150  feet  thick,  is  ex- 
posed in  Newton  County  and  all  of  the  counties  b'etween  it  and  Lawrence 
County.  It  thins  to  the  north  and  west  and  is  therefore  thickest  in  its  most 
eastern  and  southern  outcrops.  It  is  a  drab-colored  fine-grained,  sparingly 
fossiliferous  magnesian  limestone,  and  at  many  places  it  is  sandy  and  con- 
tains thin  beds  of  sandstone  which  usually  occur  near  the  base. 

Jasper  limestone. — The  Jasper  limestone,  0  to  50  feet  thick,  is  present, 
so  far  as  known,  only  in  Newton  County.  It  takes  its  name  from  Jasper, 
the  county  seat,  near  which  most  of  the  exposures  occur.  It  is  a  compact 
bluish-gray,  slightly  fossiliferous  limestone  suitable  for  making  lime,  and  it 
affords  a  beautiful  and  durable  building  stone,  as  is  shown  by  buildings  at 
Jasper  that  were  constructed  with  it.  A  bed  of  white  sandstone,  8  to  20  feet 
thick,  is  at  the  base  and  at  some  places  there  are  thinner  beds  of  similar 
sandstone  that  are  interbedded  with  the  limestone. 

Plattin  limestone. — The  Plattin  limestone,  0  to  240  feet  thick,  is  exposed 
over  large  areas  which  comprise  parts  of  Sharp,  Independence,  Izard,  Stone, 
and  Searcy  counties,  and  is  thickest  in  the  counties  to  the  east.  It  is  a  mas- 
sive, even-bedded  dove-colored  or  grayish-blue  limestone  which  is  compara- 
tively free  from  fossils  and  it  breaks  with  a  conchoidal  fracture.  It  has  been 
quarried  at  places  for  building  stone  and  for  making  lime,  for  which  it  is 
well  suited.  Certain  layers  of  the  limestone  are  so  fine  grained  as  to  suggest 
that  they  are  lithographic  stone  of  good  quality  and  considerable  prospecting 
has  been  done  for  such  stone  but  the  search  for  commercial  quantities  of  it 
has  not  been  successful.  The  most  promising  locality  is  on  West  Lafferty 
Creek  in  Izard  County. 

In  practically  all  of  the  geologic  reports  on  Arkansas  the  Plattin  lime- 
stone has  been  described  as  the  "Izard  limestone,"  but  the  "Izard,"  as  it 
was  defined,  included  not.  only  the  Plattin  but  also  the  Joachim  limestone, 
which  has  been  described  above.  The  Jasper  limestone  which  overlies  the 
Joachim  limestone  in  Newton  County  was  also  included  in  the  "Izard  lime- 
stone," but  it  is  absent  in  Izard  County,  from  which  the  "Izard  limestone" 
was  named. 


28  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Kimmswick  limestone. — The  Kimmswick  limestone,  0  to  55  feet  thick,  is 
exposed  in  Independence,  Izard,  and  Stone  counties  and  so  far  as  known  is 
absent  farther  west.  It  is  an  even-bedded  massive  light-gray  fine-grained 
slightly  fossiliferous  limestone,  but  at  places  it  is  coarse  grained  and  at 
some  places  its  uppermost  beds  are  compact  and  grayish  blue,  thus  resem- 
bling the  bulk  of  the  Plattin  limestone.  Thin  lenses  and  nodules  of  chert 
are  present  at  many  places  but  are  not  sufficiently  numerous  to  prohibit  the 
use  of  most  of  the  limestone  for  making  lime  for  which  it  is  probably  suit- 
able. 

The  Kimmswick  limestone  constituted  the  lower  part  of  "Polk  Bayou 
limestone"  of  many  of  the  geologic  reports  on  northern  Arkansas,  whereas 
the  Fernvale  limestone,  which  overlies  the  Kimmswick,  constituted  the  upper 
part  of  the  "Polk  Bayou  limestone."  In  some  of  the  earliest  reports  the 
Kimmswick  limestone  was  included  in  what  was  then  called  the  St.  Clair 
limestone. 

Fernvale  limestone. — The  Fernvale  limestone,  0  to  125  feet  thick,  is 
exposed  over  large  areas  in  Independence,  Izard,  and  Stone  counties;  small 
outcrops  occur  near  St.  Joe,  Searcy  County;  and  one  small  outcrop  is  on 
Little  Buffalo  River,  a  mile  northeast  of  Jasper.  The  greatest  thickness  of 
the  limestone  given  above  is  in  Penters  Bluff  near  Penters  Bluff  station,  in 
Izard  County,  but  the  usual  thickness  at  other  places  in  the  Batesville  man- 
ganese district,  in  which  Penters  Bluff  occurs,  is  about  100  feet.  This  lime- 
stone is  coarse  grained,  massive,  cross  bedded,  and  fossiliferous,  is  dark 
gray  and  pinkish  gray  in  color,  and  would  make  a  valuable  building  stone. 
Deposits  of  manganese  ore  occur  in  the  Fernvale  limestone  and  in  its  resid- 
ual clays  in  the  Batesville  manganese  district,  which  comprises  parts  of 
Sharp,  Izard,  and  Independence  counties,  and  they  have  been  worked  much 
of  the  time  since  1849. 

The  Fernvale  limestone  was  included  in  the  so  called  St.  Clair  limestone 
of  some  of  the  earlier  geologic  reports  on  northern  Arkansas,  also  in  the 
so-called  "St.  Clair  marble"  of  some  of  the  reports,  and  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  "Polk  Bayou  limestone"  of  the  more  recent  reports.  It  was  first  identified 
by  E.  O.  Ulrich  as  being  the  same  as  the  Fernvale  limestone  of  middle  Ten- 
nessee. 

Cason  shale. — The  Cason  shale,  0  to  21  feet  thick,  is  present  in  com- 
paratively small  areas.  The  largest  of  these  are  in  Independence,  Izard,  and 
Stone  counties,  but  small  outcrops  occur  near  Duff,  Searcy  County,  and  Jas- 
per, Newton  County.  It  consists  of  greenish-gray  calcareous  shale  and  smal- 
ler amounts  of  sandstone  and  phosphate,  and  besides  these  it  contains  man- 
ganese and  iron  minerals.  Phosphate  is  widely  distributed  in  the  shale  and 
has  been  mined  at  a  few  places  near  the  abandoned  village  of  Phosphate  in 
Independence  County.  The  mines  have,  however,  not  been  worked  for  sev- 
eral years.  At  several  places  in  the  Batesville  district — notably  the  Cason 
mine  3  miles  north-northeast  of  Batesville — parts  of  the  shale  contain  a 
large  enough  quantity  of  manganese  oxides  for  such  parts  of  the  shale  to  be 
mixed  and  shipped  as  a  low-grade  manganese  ore.  The  residual  clays  of  the 
shale  also  contain  workable  quantities  of  manganese  ore.  Fossils  in  the 
Cason  shale  have  been  found  at  very  few  localities. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  29 


SILURIAN    SYSTEM. 

Brassfield  limestone. — The  Brassfield  limestone  so  far  as  known  is  pres- 
ent at  only  a  few  places;  these  occur  between  Duff  and  Tomahawk,  Searcy 
County,  where  it  is  several  feet  thick,  but  fossils  that  have  been  derived 
from  it  through  weathering  occur  in  residual  clays  at  the  Montgomery  mine, 
5  miles  east-northeast  of  Cushman,  Independence  County.  It  is  a  granular, 
light-gray  fossiliferous  limestone  and  contains  a  small  amount  of  glauconite. 
This  limestone  has  heretofore  been  included  in  the  St.  Clair  limestone  but 
its  lithology,  fossils,  and  stratigraphic  relations  show  that  it  is  of  the  same 
age  as  the  Brassfield  limestone  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

St.  Clair  limestone. — The  typical  St.  Clair  limestone,  0  to  100  feet  thick, 
is  exposed  at  many  places  in  Independence,  Izard,  and  Stone  counties.  It  is 
a  coarse-grained  pinkish  light-gray,  highly  fossiliferous  limestone  and  much 
of  it  would  make  a  valuable  building  stone.  The  greatest  thickness,  100 
feet,  is  at  the  Cason  mine. 

Lafferty  limestone. — The  Lafferty  limestone,  0  to  85  feet  thick,  is  a 
thin-bedded  compact  earthy,  sparingly  fossiliferous  limestone,  of  which  the 
upper  part  is  gray  in  color  and  the  lower  part  red.  The  only  known  oc- 
currence is  an  exposure  1*4  miles  north  of  Penters  Bluff  station  in  Izard 
County.  The  name  of  the  limestone  is  taken  from  West  Lafferty  Creek  which 
is  half  a  mile  east  of  the  exposure. 

DEVONIAN   SYSTEM. 

Penters  chert. — The  Penters  chert,  0  to  91  feet  thick,  is  exposed  within 
two  small  areas  in  Independence  County,  one  being  near  Pfeiffer  and  the 
other  near  Penters  Bluff  station  from  which  the  formation  takes  its  name. 
It  is  a  compact  gray  and  bluish  chert,  though  the  upper  part  is  dark  colored 
at  places.  No  fossils  have  been  discovered  in  the  chert  but  its  lithology  and 
stratigraphic  relations  indicate  that  it  is  of  the  same  age  as  the  Camden 
chert  of  west-central  Tennessee  and  the  lower  part  of  the  Arkansas  novacu- 
lite  of  west-central  Arkansas  and  southeastern  Oklahoma.  The  Camden 
chert,  as  shown  by  fossils,  is  equivalent  in  age  to  at  least  a  part  of  the 
Oriskany  group  of  the  Northern  Appalachian  region. 

The  Penters  chert  has  heretofore  been  considered  to  be  a  part  of  the 
Boone  chert,  which  is  described  later. 

Clifty  limestone. — The  only  exposure  of  the  Clifty  limestone  in  northern 
Arkansas  is  on  the  East  Fork  of  the  Little  Clifty  Creek  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Benton  County.  It  is  a  sandy  compact  light  bluish-gray  fossiliferoua 
limestone  and  the  greatest  thickness  that  has  been  observed  is  2%  feet. 

Chattanooga  shale. — The  Chattanooga  shale  is  exposed  in  Washington. 
Benton,  Carroll,  Madison,  Searcy,  and  Independence  counties.  It  is  either 
absent  or  not  exposed  in  the  other  counties  in  northern  Arkansas.  It  is  a 
coal  black  clay  shale  that  splits  into  thin  plates  and  slabs  and  gives  off  the 
odor  of  petroleum  when  struck  with  a  hammer.  It  is  thickest  near  the  west- 
ern border  of  the  State,  where  it  attains  a  thickness  of  70  feet.  The  shale 
is  generally  underlain  by  a  white  to  brown  sandstone,  0  to  75  feet  thick, 
known  as  the  Sylamore  sandstone  member,  which  is  also  thickest  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State.  At  some  places  the  sandstone  contains  chert 
pebbles  and  at  some  places  it  is  phosphatic. 


30  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

The  Chattanooga  shale  in  the  reports  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey 
is  called  "Eureka  shale." 

CARBONIFEROUS   SYSTEM. 
Mississippi  an  Series 

Boone  formation. — The  Boone  formation,  250  to  400  feet  thick,  consists 
in  the  main  of  a  series  of  cherty  fossiliferous  limestones  and  cherts  that  has 
been  known  as  the  Boone  chert,  a  name  given  to  the  series  on  account  of  its 
wide  distribution  in  Boone  County.  Below  these  over  a  large  area  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  lies  the  St.  Joe  limestone  member  of  the  forma- 
tion, a  well-marked  bed  of  gray  or  pink  crystalline  limestone,  which  is  the 
basal  Carboniferous  bed.  It  is  easily  recognized  by  its  color,  texture,  and 
its  marked  contrast  with  the  beds  that  usually  underlie  it.  This  limestone 
ranges  in  thickness  from  a  feather  edge  to  100  feet  and  forms  an  almost  un- 
broken, though  very  sinuous  outcrop  from  the  vicinity  of  Mountain  View, 
Stone  County,  to  the  State  line  near  Seligman,  Mo.,  and  is  exposed  in  all  of 
the  counties  between  that  county  and  the  western  boundary  of  the  State. 

Where  the  cherts  are  interbedded  with  much  limestone  they  form,  on 
decay,  a  fertile  soil,  such  as  is  found  over  large  areas  in  Boone,  Benton, 
Washington,  and  Madison  counties.  When  comparatively  free  from  lime- 
stone beds  the  soil  is  generally  too  meager  for  agriculture  and  forms  the 
"flint  hills"  of  central  Independence  County,  of  western  Carroll  and  north- 
ern Madison  counties  and  the  watersheds  north  of  Marshall  and  southwest 
of  Rush  Creek,  in  Marion  County,  and  the  hilltops  about  Elixir  Springs, 
Boone  County,  and  Doddsville,  Marion  County. 

The  Boone  formation  affords  an  abundance  of  fractured  loose  chert  on 
the  hillslopes,  suitable  for  road  building.  The  limestone  in  it  is  used  for 
building  stone  and  for  making  lime.  A  quarry  at  Pfeiffer,  Independence 
County,  is  producing  a  high  grade  of  ornamental  limestone. 

Moorefield  shale. — In  the  vicinity  of  Batesville  there  is  a  bed  of  shale 
lying  on  the  Boone  formation.  It  is  well  exposed  around  Moorefield.  from 
which  place  it  is  named.  At  and  near  Batesville  it  varies  in  thickness  from 
less  than  100  to  more  than  250  feet.  To  the  west,  at  Marshall,  it  is  not  over 
35  feet  thick,  and  evidently  it  does  not  extend  much  farther  westward.  The 
shale  has  a  light  grayish  or  bluish  color  and  is  very  friable.  In  places  it  is 
sandy.  A  fossiliferous  limy  phase,  several  feet  thick,  at  its  base  has  been 
called  "Spring  Creek  limestone." 

Batesville  sandstone. — The  Batesville  sandstone,  0  to  200  feet  thick,  is 
so  named  from  the  town  of  Batesville  which  is  built  on  it.  The  sandstone  is 
present  along  the  base  of  the  slopes  of  the  isolated  hills  and  mountains 
north  of  the  Boston  Mountains  escarpment,  in  Independence,  Stone,  Searcy, 
Newton,  Boone,  Carroll,  Madison,  Washington,  and  Benton  counties.  It  is 
thickest  in  its  most  eastern  exposures.  The  rock  is  coarse  grained,  cream- 
colored  to  brown,  often  false  bedded,  and  in  some  places  contains  beds  of  shale 
interstratified  with  sandstone.  A  light  sandy  soil  results  from  its  disintegra- 
tion. It  serves  as  an  excellent  reservoir,  for  the  wells  that  penetrate  it 
usually  find  in  it  an  abundance  of  good  soft  water. 

In  the  part  of  the  State  west  of  Harrison,  Boone  County,  the  sandstone 
is  generally  underlain  by  a  limestone.  0  to  50  feet  thick,  known  as  the  Hinds- 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  31 


ville  limestone  member.  The  greatest  areal  exposure  of  the  member  is 
near  Hindsville,  Madison  County,  from  which  it  was  named.  The  limestone 
is  gray,  fossiliferous,  and  oolitic,  is  interbedded  with  thin  beds  of  sandstone, 
and  includes  at  its  base  a  chert-pebble  conglomerate.  It  is  suitable  for 
building  stone  and  for  making  lime.  The  limestone  for  the  columns  at  the 
front  entrance  of  the  main  building  of  the  University  of  Arkansas,  at  Fay- 
etteville,  was  quarried  from  this  limestone  on  Brush  Creek  near  Hindsville. 

Fayetteville  shale. — The  Fayetteville  shale,  10  to  400  feet  thick,  consists 
principally  of  black  or  dark-gray  carboneous  shale,  at  many  places  thinly 
laminated,  and  in  general  is  thickest  to  the  sout'h.  Near  its  base  there  is 
generally  a  thin  bed  of  hard,  dark  gray  or  blue  fossiliferous  limestone,  while 
its  middle  part  commonly  grades  from  a  sandy  shale  to  a  true  sandstone, 
and  where  the  sandstone  phase  predominates  this  portion  of  the  formation 
is  distinguished  as  the  Wedington  sandstone  member.  The  shale  is  well  de- 
veloped in  the  valley  of  West  Fork  of  White  River  near  Fayetteville,  from 
which  town  it  is  named,  and  the  Wedington  sandstone  member  is  particu- 
larly prominent  southwest  of  Fayetteville,  in  Wedington  Mountain,  where  it 
attains  a  thickness  of  150  feet — perhaps  one-half  the  total  thickness  of  the 
formation  there.  The  softness  of  the  shale  causes  it  to  erode  so  easily  that 
its  outcrop  is  usually  marked  by  a  valley,  or  by  steep  slopes.  Where  ex- 
posed, the  shale  disintegrates  readily  and  forms  a  black  and  fertile  soil. 
The  composition  of  the  unweathered  shale  renders  it  suitable  material  for 
brick  making.  The  shale  beds  are  practically  constant  from  the  Oklahoma 
line  to  the  Gulf  Coastal  Plain  near  Batesville,  but  the  sandstone  thins  out 
at  places. 

Pitkin  limestone. — The  Pitkin  limestone,  0  to  100  feet  thick,  is  widely 
distributed  over  northern  Arkansas,  extending  along  the  north  side  of  the 
Boston  Mountains  from  Independence  County  to  the  western  boundary  of 
the  State.  It  thins  out  to  the  north  and  is  generally  thickest  in  its  most 
southern  outcrops.  It  is  exposed  along  the  north  face  of  these  mountains 
and  on  many  of  their  outliers  and  in  some  places  it  forms  a  prominent  es- 
carpment. It  is  also  exposed  on  the  south  side  of  the  Boston  Mountains  in 
Franklin,  Johnson,  and  Newton  counties.  It  is  composed  of  massive  gray 
fossiliferous  limestone,  parts  of  which  are  probably  pure  enough  for  making 
lime.  In  the  reports  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  it  is  known  as  the 
"Archimedes  limestone,"  because  of  the  presence  of  Archimedes,  an  easily 
recognized  bryozoan,  the  screwlike  stems  of  which  are  common  on  the 
weathered  surface  of  the  rock. 

Pennsylvanian  Series 

Morrow  group. — Under  the  name  Morrow  group  are  included  several 
beds  of  limestone,  sandstone,  and  sftiale,  which  vary  much  in  thickness,  ar- 
rangement, and  character,  and  are  of  but  little  topographic  prominence. 
They  lie  just  below  the  -sandstone  of  the  "Millstone  grit"  of  the  Arkansas 
Geological  Survey,  and,  as  a  rule,  form  the  middle  part  of  the  northern  es- 
carpment of  the  Boston  Mountains.  South  of  Batesville,  near  Jamestown, 
these  beds  have  a  total  thickness  of  about  200  feet,  while  at  places  farther 
west  they  are  about  400  feet  thick. 

To  the  lower  part  of  the  group  the  name  Hale  formation  has  been  ap- 
plied, and  to  the  upper  part  the  name  Bloyd  shale  has  been  applied.  The 
Hale  formation  is  composed  of  conglomerate,  sandstone,  limestone,  and 


32  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


shale,  and  is  known  to  vary  in  thickness  from  80  to  300  feet.  The  Bloyd 
shale  is  composed  mainly  of  black  clay  shale,  but  partly  of  limestone  which 
occurs  in  two  beds,  the  upper  being  known  as  the  Kessler  limestone  member 
and  the  lower  the  Brentwood  limestone  member.  The  shale  is  about  200 
feet  thick  in  southern  Washington  County  and  northern  Crawford  County 
but  from  this  part  of  the  State  it  thins  to  the  north  and  east  and  is  known 
to  be  absent  in  parts  of  Madison,  Carroll,  Boone,  and  Newton  counties. 

A  coal  bed,  as  much  as  14  inches  thick  occurs  in  the  Bloyd  shale  in 
Washington  County  and  has  been  worked  on  a  small  scale. 

Winslow  formation. — The  Winslow  formation  makes  the  summit  and 
southern  slopes  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  except  in  the  deeper  ravines 
where  older  rocks  have  been  exposed.  Rocks  of  this  formation  also  occur 
on  the  tops  of  the  outliers  immediately  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains. 

The  formation  consists  of  beds  of  sandstone  and  shale,  with  a  few  thin 
local  layers  of  limestone.  The  sandstone  beds  range  in  thickness  from  3 
feet  to  more  than  50  feet.  Cne  of  these  beds,  and  in  places  two,  near  the 
base  of  the  formation,  are  conglomeratic,  containing  waterworn  quartz  peb- 
bles of  small  size  and  form  prominent  bluffs  along  the  mountain  slopes. 
These  gritty  beds  at  and  near  the  base  of  the  Winslow  formation  were 
described  by  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  in  the  report  on  Washington 
County  as  the  "Millstone  grit."  The  shales,  which  constitute  probably  75 
per  cent  of  the  formation,  are  as  a  rule  black  and  carbonaceous,  though  less 
so  than  the  shales  of  the  Morrow  group.  Coal  occurs  within  this  formation 
but  only  in  beds  too  thin  to  be  profitably  worked.  The  Winslow  formation 
in  the  Boston  Mountain  region  extends  up  to  the  base  of  the  series  of  rocks 
that  contain  the  workable  coal  beds  in  the  Arkansas  coal  field.  Its  total 
thickness  in  the  southern  part  of  the  region  where  it  is  greatest  is  estimated 
to  be  more  than  1,500  feet. 

CUACHITA    MOUNTAIN   REGION. 
CAMBRIAN   SYSTEM. 

Ccllier  shale. — The  Collier  shale  is  exposed  in  a  nearly  east-west  valley 
area.  1  to  3  miles  wide  and  about  15  miles  long,  lying  between  Womble  and 
Mount  Ida,  Montgomery  County.  The  entire  thickness  of  the  formation  is 
not  known  as  the  base  is  not  revealed,  but  the  exposed  beds  are  probably 
at  least  500  feet  thick.  The  formation  is  composed  mostly  of  bluish-black 
soft  graphitic,  intensely  crumpled  clay  shale,  but  contains  some  bluish-gray 
or  black  limestone  and  a  few  thin  layers  of  dark  chert.  No  fossils  have 
been  found  in  the  formation.  Very  little  or  none  of  the  limestone  is  suitable 
for  making  lime,  and  none  of  it  is  suitable  for  building  stone  on  account  of 
the  fractured  condition  of  the  limestone  and  the  occurrence  of  quartz  and 
calcite  veins  in  it. 

ORUOVICIAN    SYSTEM. 

Crystal  Mountain  sandstone. — The  Crystal  Mountain  sandstone,  850  feet 
thick,  crops  out  in  Montgomery  County  and  produces  high  rugged  ridges 
which  extend  westward  from  the  vicinity  of  Crystal  Springs  to  a  point  about 
15  miles  west  of  Mount  Ida.  A  group  of  these  ridges  south  of  Mount  Ida 
is  known  as  the  Crystal  Mountains  and  from  them  the  sandstone  takes  its 
name.  The  formation  is  composed  of  coarse-grained  massive  gray  to  brown 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  33 

sandstone  but  at  the  base  there  is  a  conglomerate  with  limestone  and  chert 
pebbles  that  have  been  derived  from  the  Collier  shale.  Clusters  of  quartz 
crystals  .are  found  in  fissures  at  numerous  places  and  many  are  sold  at  Hot 
Springs,  Garland  County,  for  museum  specimens  and  for  use  as  ornaments. 
The  sandstone  is  used  as  a  building  stone  at  Mount  Ida. 

The  formation  has  not  yielded  any  fossils  but,  for  reasons  which  can 
not  be  presented  in  this  short  paper,  it  is  tentatively  assigned  to  the  Ordo- 
vician  system. 

Mazarn  shale. — The  Mazarn  shale,  1,000  feet  thick,  takes  its  name  from 
its  occurrence  on  the  headwaters  of  Mazarn  Creek  in  Montgomery  County. 
It  is  exposed  at  other  places  in  this  county  and  outcrops  of  it  are  known  to 
extend  as  far  east  as  Blakely  Mountain  in  Garland  County.  The  outcrops 
everywhere  occur  in  valleys.  The  formation  consists  of  shale  and  of  small 
amounts  of  limestone  and  sandstone.  The  shale  is  ribboned,  consisting  of 
alternating  black  and  green  layers  that  split  at  an  angle  with  the  bedding. 
Fossil  graptolites  of  Lower  Ordovician  age  have  been  found  at  a  few  places. 

Blakely  sandstone. — The  Blakely  sandstone,  0  to  500  feet  thick,  consists 
of  shale  in  alternating  black  and  green  layers  and  hard  gray  sandstone.  The 
shale  constitutes  75  per  cent  of  the  whole,  but  the  sandstone,  which  pro- 
duces high  ridges,  is  the  prominent  feature.  The  ridges  formed  by  this 
sandstone  extend  in  an  east-northeastward  direction  from  Womble,  Mont- 
gomery County,  across  Garland  County,  into  Saline  County.  A  group  of 
these  ridges  in  Garland  County  is  known  as  Blakely  Mountain  and  from  it 
the  sandstone  has  been  named.  The  formation  is  absent  at  most  places  west 
of  Womble  and  at  probably  all  places  north  of  that  town.  Graptolites  of 
Lower  Ordovician  age  have  been  found  in  shale  in  the  formation  in  Blakely 
Mountain.  Quartz  crystals  are  found  in  fissures  in  the  sandstone  but  they 
are  not  so  numerous  as  they  are  in  the  Crystal  Mountain  sandstone. 

Womble  shale. — The  Womble  shale,  250  to  1,000  feet  thick,  is  exposed 
in  wide  and  narrow  valley  areas  from  the  vicinity  of  Big  Fork,  Polk  County, 
across  Montgomery,  Garland,  and  Saline  counties,  into  Pulaski  County.  The 
name  for  it  is  taken  from  the  town  of  Womble,  part  of  which  is  situated  on 
the  base  of  the  shale.  The  formation  consists  of  black  graphitic  shale,  with 
thin  beds  of  sandstone  near  the  base  and  beds  of  limestone  near  the  top. 
The  shale  near  the  base  is  composed  of  black  and  green  layers  that  split 
at  an  angle  with  the  bedding  and  thus  show  ribboned  cleavage  surfaces. 
Graptolites  of  Lower  Ordovician  age  are  numerous.  Some  of  the  limestone 
has  been  used  for  making  lime  for  local  use,  near  Cedar  Glades,  Garland 
County,  and  Black  Springs,  Montgomery  County. 

Bigfork  chert. — The  Bigfork  chert  is  exposed  over  large  and  small  areas 
between  Shady  postoffice,  Polk.  County,  and  Pulaski  County,  and  in  such 
areas  it  produces  numerous  low  steep-sided  knobs.  The  formation  is  esti- 
mated to  be  700  feet  thick  in  Garland  County  and  other  counties  farther  west, 
where  it  has  been  studied  more  extensively  than  elsewhere.  It  is  composed 
of  thin-bedded  gray  to  black,  much  shattered  chert  interbedded  with  thin 
layers  of  black  shale.  The  -fossils  that  have  been  found  consist  mainly  of 
graptolites.  The  chert  is  excellently  adapted  for  road  building  and  is  beins 
used  for  this  purpose  at  Hot  Springs. 

Polk  Creek  shale. — The  Polk  Creek  shale,  0  to  200  feet  thick,  is  exposed 
on  steep  rocky  slopes  and  in  narrow  valleys  in  close  association  with  the 


34  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

outcrops  of  the  Bigfork  chert,  and  so  far  as  known  is  absent  in  comparatively 
small  areas.  It  is  a  black  graphitic  shale;  in  parts  it  is  siliceous  and  in  others 
clay  shale.  It  has  been  prospected  for  roofing  slate  near  Big  Fork,  Polk 
County,  and  near  Washita,  Montgomery  County.  Graptolites  are  abundant 
in  the  shale. 

SILURIAN    SYSTEM. 

Blaylock  sandstone. — The  Blaylock  sandstone  is  exposed  in  a  small  area 
near  Bog  Springs,  Polk  County,  and  in  other,  though  not  large,  areas  as  far 
east  as  the  vicinity  of  Malvern.  Along  some  of  its  most  southern  outcrops 
it  has  an  estimated  thickness  of  1,500  feet,  but  it  thins  so  rapidly  to  the 
north  that  it  is  not  present  3  or  4  miles  north  of  the  places  where  it  has  the 
above-estimated  thickness.  It  is  composed  of  fine-grained  light-gray  to 
dark-gray  or  green  compact  sandstone  and  buff  to  dark  shale.  Its  areas  of 
outcrop  are  very  rocky,  occurring  on  mountain  slopes  and  in  narrow  valleys. 
One  small  collection  of  fossils,  consisting  entirely  of  graptolites,  has  been 
obtained  at  the  south  base  of  Blaylock  Mountain,  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  Montgomery  County. 

Missouri  Mountain  slate. — The  Missouri  Mountain  slate,  0  to  300  feet 
thick,  is  exposed  on  or  near  high  ridges  from  Polk  County  east  to  Pulaski 
County,  but  is  absent  at  places  near  Mount  Ida.  It  is  a  red  and  green  clay 
slate  but  at  places  is  dark  colored.  Thus  far  it  has  not  yielded  any  fossils. 
It  has  been  extensively  prospected  for  commercial  slate  at  several  places 
near  Hawes  and  Bear,  Garland  County,  and  at  many  places  in  Polk  and 
Montgomery  counties,  and  has  been  quarried  for  switchboards  at  Slatington 
in  the  last-named  county. 

DEVONIAN   SYSTEM. 

Arkansas  novaculite. — The  Arkansas  novaculite  is  widely  exposed  in 
Polk  County  and  the  other  counties  between  it  and  Pulaski  County.  It  is 
exposed  in  more  or  less  parallel  and  nearly  eastward-trending  belts,  whose 
narrowness  is  due  to  the  steep  dips  of  the  beds.  Owing  to  the  narrowness 
of  these  belts  and  to  the  greater  resistance  of  the  novaculite  (a  variety  of 
chert)  to  weathering  than  the  adjacent  strata  above  and  below,  its  outcrops 
stand  up  as  sharp  ridges,  whereas  both  the  older  and  younger  rocks  form 
valleys.  Many  rock  ledges  occur  on  the  crests  of  the  ridges  and  in  the 
water  gaps. 

The  formation  is  thickest  in  its  southernmost  outcrops,  where  the  thick- 
ness at  many  if  not  at  most  places  is  about  900  feet,  but  it  thins  to  the  north 
and  is  absent  at  places  near  Mount  Ida,  and  probably  at  other  places.  It  has 
been  studied  more  extensively  in  Garland  and  Hot  Spring  counties  and  the 
other  counties  farther  west  than  elsewhere  in  the  State.  There  it  consists 
of  three  lithologic  divisions — a  lower  one,  made  up  almost  entirely  of  massive 
white  novaculite;  a  middle  one,  consisting  mainly  of  thin  layers  of  dense 
dark-colored  novaculite  interbedded  with  shale;  and  an  upper  one  consist- 
ing chiefly  of  massive,  highly  calcareous  novaculite.  These  divisions  vary 
in  thickness  and  character  from  place  to  place. 

The  lower  division  is  commonly  from  150  to  300  feet  thick,  though  at 
some  places  the  thickness  is  greater.  It  is  made  up  almost  wholly  of  typical 
novaculite,  whose  white  color  and  massiveness  make  it  the  most  conspicuous 
part  of  the  formation.  In  fact,  it  is  this  part  that  usually  occupies  the  crests 
of  the  ridges.  The  beds  are  from  2  to  10  feet  thick  and  are  commonly  even 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  35 


bedded.  The  massive  novaculite  is  usually  dense,  gritty,  fine  grained,  homo- 
geneous, highly  siliceous,  translucent  on  thin  edges,  and  white  with  a  bluish 
tint,  but  where  unweathered  it  is  bluish  gray.  It  has  an  uneven  to  conchoidal 
fracture  and  a  waxy  luster  like  that  of  chaledony.  Though  the  bulk  of  the 
rock  is  white,  much  of  it  varies  in  shades  of  red,  gray,  green,  yellow,  and 
brown,  and  in  many  places  it  is  black.  These  shades  are  produced  by  iron 
and  manganese  oxides  and  possibly  in  some  places  by  carbonaceous  matter. 
The  rock  contains  a  little  calcite,  but  exposures  of  the  calcereous  stone  are 
not  common  and  have  been  found  only  in  stream  beds.  Joints  are  numerous 
and  run  in  all  directions,  but  the  mi-st  prominent  joints  are  normal  to  the 
bedding.  Many  of  them  are  filled  by  white  quartz  veins  which  are  usually 
so  thin  as  to  be  inconspicuous.  Slickensides  along  both  joints  and  bedding 
planes  are  common. 

The  middle  part  of  the  formation  consists  chiefly  of  interbedded  nova- 
culite and  shale.  The  novaculite  is  similar  to  that  in  the  lower  massive  part 
of  the  formation,  except  that  the  common  color  is  dark  gray  to  black  and  that 
the  beds  are  much  thinner,  usually  between  1  inch  and  6  inches  thick.  A  con- 
glomerate at  the  base  of  this  division  was  observed  at  a  number  of  places. 
It  consists  of  small  rounded  and  subangular  pebbles  of  novaculite  in  a  sandy 
and  dense  flinty  matrix.  The  shale  ordinarily  observed  is  black,  weathering 
to  a  buff  or  brown  color,  but  some  of  it  is  red. 

The  upper  part  of  the  formation  ranges  from  about  20  to  125  feet  in 
thickness  and  is  thickest  along  the  southernmost  exposures.  It-  consists 
chiefly  of  massive,  highly  calcareous  light-gray  to  bluish-black  novaculite 
which  is  so  resistent  that  at  some  places  where  it  and  the  accompanying 
beds  of  the  formation  are  not  overturned  it  produces  low  ridges  or  knobs 
on  the  slopes  of  the  higher  ridges.  Some  thin  beds  of  ordinary  dense  chal- 
cedonic  novaculite  like  that  so  characteristic  of  the  middle  and  lower  parts 
of  the  formation  are  also  included.  Fine  lamination  parallel  with  the  bed- 
ding is  common.  On  weathering,  the  more  calcareous  rock  loses  its  calcium 
carbonate  becomes  white  or  cream-colored  and  porous  and  soft  enough  to 
receive  impressions  from  the  hammer  without  breaking. 

Novaculite  from  the  lower  part  of  the  formation  is  quarried  on  North 
Mountain,  Indian  Mountain,  and  near  Summit,  Garland  County,  for  oil  stones 
or  w'hetstones.  It  is  also  quarried  on  North  Mountain,  Garland  County,  and 
near  Butterfield,  Hot  Spring  County,  for  use  in  concrete.  Deposits  of  tripoli 
derived  from  the  novaculite  have  been  prospected  near  Caddo  Gap,  Mont- 
gomery County  and  near  Langley,  Pike  County.  Manganese  oxides  occur 
in  the  novaculite  and  much  prospecting  for  manganese  ore  has  been  done 
in  Pike,  Polk,  and  Montgomery  counties. 

The  lower  part  of  the  formation  is  considered  to  be  of  Devonian  age; 
but  the  middle  and  upper  parts  are  doubtfully  placed  in  the  Devonian  sys- 
tem, as  there  is  a  possibility  that  these  two  parts  may  be  of  Mississippian 
age.  The  only  fossils  that  have  been  found  in  the  formation  in  Arkansas  are 
conodonts,  linguloids,  sporangites,  and  fossil  wood,  all  of  which  were  obtained 
from  the  middle  and  upper  parts  of  the  formation. 

CARBONIFEROUS  SYSTEM. 
Mississippian  Series 

Hot  Springs  sandstone. — The  Hot  Springs  sandstone  is  exposed  on  high 
mountain  ridges  at  and  near  the  city  of  Hot  Springs.  It  is  simply  a  lenticular 


36  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

formation,  and  so  far  as  known  is  not  present  except  near  Hot  Springs.  The 
maximum  thickness  is  200  feet.  The  formation  is  composed  of  gray  hard 
quartzitic.  sandstone,  and  at  the  base  there  is  a  conglomerate  which  is  as 
much  as  30  feet  thick.  The  pebbles  are  of  all  sizes  up  to  6  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  consist  mostly  of  novaculite. 

Stanley  shale. — The  Stanley  shale  is  the  surface  rock  in  large  and  small 
areas  in  Polk,  Sevier,  Howard,  Pike,  Montgomery,  Clark,  Hot  Spring,  and 
Garland  counties,  in  the  southern  part  of  Yell  County,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Saline  County,  and  in  the  west-central  part  of  Pulaski  County.  Some  of 
the  largest  areas  are  intermontane  basins  like  the  one  in  which  Mena  is  sit- 
uated and  the  one  in  which  the  southern  part  of  Hot  Springs  is  situated, 
whereas  the  other  large  areas  form  a  part  of  the  Athens  plateau  which 
is  south  of  the  Ouachita  Mountains.  The  thickness,  as  measured  near  Glen- 
wood,  Pike  County,  is  6,000  feet,  and  it  is  perhaps  equally  as  great  at  all 
other  places. 

The  formation  is  composed  of  bluish-black  and  black  fissile  clay  shale 
and  fine-grained  compact  greenish-gray  or  bluish-gray  sandstone.  Several 
tuff  beds,  as  much  as  85  feet  thick,  occur  near  the  base  in  Polk  County.  The 
upper  part  of  the  formation  in  Arkansas  has  yielded  a  single  collection  of 
plants,  including  some  ferns.  Some  of  the  shale  at  the  base  has  been  altered 
to  slate  and  this  has  been  prospected  for  commercial  slate  in  Polk,  Mont- 
gomery, and  Garland  counties.  Quartz  veins  in  the  formation  contain  lead, 
zinc,  and  antimony  minerals  near  Gillham,  Sevier  County. 

Jackfork  sandstone. — The  Jackfork  sandstone,  5,000  to  6,600  feet  thick, 
forms  broad  low  nearly  east-west  ridges  on  the  Athens  plateau  south  of 
the  Ouachita  Mountains.  These  ridges  are  forested  with  yellow  pine  and 
among  them  are  Grindstone  Mountain  extending  westward  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  Arkadelphia,  Clark  County,  and  several  ridges  that  are  south  of  Kirby, 
Pike  county.  Furthermore,  the  formation  is  widely  exposed  in  the  Ouachita 
Mountains  themselves.  In  fact,  its  outcrops  form  the  highest  and  some 
of  the  most  rugged  mountain  ridges  of  the  Ouachitas.  Some  of  these  are 
Black  Fork,  Rich,  Fourche,  Mill  Creek,  and  Irons  Fork  mountains  near 
Mena,  Polk  County;  Muddy  Creek  Mountain  near  Washita,  Montgomery 
County;  and  Blue  Mountain  near  Cedar  Glades,  Garland  County.  In  the 
southern  exposures  of  the  formation  it  is  composed  of  massive  compact 
fine-grained  to  coarse-grained  light-gray  sandstone  with  some  millstone  grit, 
especially  in  its  basal  part,  and  with  a  small  amount  of  green  shale,  whereas 
in  many  of  its  northern  exposures  the  shale  forms  the  greater  part  of  the 
formation  and  the  sandstone  a  minor  part  of  it.  Indeterminable  invertebrate 
fossils  have  been  found  in  the  millstone  grit  at  the  base. 

Pennsylvanian  Series 

Atoka  formation. — The  Atoka  formation  is  exposed  in  two  narrow  east- 
west  belts  between  Kirby  and  Murfreesboro,  Pike  County,  and  another  belt, 
which  is  probably  one  of  these,  follows  the  south  base  of  Chalybeate  Moun- 
tain, 5  miles  south  of  Amity,  Clark  County.  The  thickness  of  the  formation 
in  this  part  of  the  State  is  estimated  to  be  6,000  feet.  The  Atoka  is  also  ex- 
posed in  large  areas  in  Scott.  Yell,  and  Perry  counties  and  the  west-central 
part  of  Pulaski  County.  Two  of  the  principal  ridges  formed  by  it  are  Dutch 
Creek  and  Danville  mountains.  The  formation  in  Yell  County  is  estimated 
to  be  7,800  feet  thick.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  the  State,  it  is  composed  of 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOG\  37 

hard  light-gray  to  brown  sandstone  and  an  equal  or  greater  amount  of  black 
clay  shale. 

ARKANSAS  VALLEY   REGION. 

CARBONIFEROUS   SYSTEM. 

Mississippian  Series 

Jackfork  sandstone. — The  Jackfork  sandstone,  as  has  been  previously 
stated,  is  composed  of  shale  and  a  smaller  amount  of  sandstone  in  its  north- 
ernmost outcrops  in  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region,  and  it  is  doubtless  repre- 
sented by  similar  strata  in  some  areas  on  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas 
Valley. 

Pennsylvanian  Series 

Atoka  formation. — The  Atoka  formation  comprises  a  considerable  part  of 
the  thick  series  of  sandstones  and  shales  that  underlie  the  coal-bearing  rocks 
in  the  Arkansas  coal  field.  This  series  of  rocks  was  referred  to  in  the  pub- 
lications of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  as  the  "Lower  or  Barren  Coal 
Measures."  The  uppermost  formation  in  this  series  is  known  as  the  Atoka 
formation  and  contains  beds  which  are  equivalent  to  part  of  the  Winslow 
formation  of  the  Boston  Mountains.  The  Atoka  is  estimated  to  be  about 
7,000  feet  thick  and  is  composed  of  sandstone  separated  by  thick  beds  of 
black  clay  shale.  It  has  not  yielded  any  fossils  in  Arkansas.  The  sandstones 
form  ridges  and  the  shales  underlie  valleys  and  lowlands.  Sandstone  beds 
in  the  formation  supply  the  gas  from  the  Massard  Prairie  gas  field  near  Fort 
Smith,  the  Coops  Prairie  gas  field  near  Mansfield,  and  the  Kibler  gas  field 
near  Van  Buren. 

Hartshorne  sandstone. — The  Hartshorne  sandstone  lies  at  the  base  of 
the  productive  coal-bearing  rocks  of  the  Arkansas  coal  field.  It  is  known 
to  have  a  great  areal  extent,  and  is  found  cropping  out  around  the  edges 
of  the  coal  bearing  rocks  from  the  east  end  of  the  Arkansas  coal  field  west- 
ward into  Oklahoma.  It  is  100  to  300  feet  thick,  and  contains  minor  beds  of 
shale  in  its  central  and  upper  parts.  An  important  coal  bed  known  as  the 
Hartshorne  coal  rests  on  the  top  of  the  sandstone. 

McAlester  group. — Above  the  Hartshorne  sandstone  there  is  in  the  pro- 
ductive coal-bearing  rocks  a  series  of  shales  and  sandstones  with  a  num- 
ber of  beds  of  workable  coal.  The  McAlester  group  is  divisible  into  three 
formations — (1)  a  lower,  known  as  the  Spadra  shale,  consisting  of  three  or 
more  beds  of  coal  and  minor  strata  of  sandstone;  (2)  a  middle,  called  the 
Fort  Smith  formation,  composed  chiefly  of  sandstone  and  shaly  sandstone 
beds  with  one  or  more  workable  beds  of  coal;  (3)  an  upper,  described  as 
the  Paris  shale,  consisting  partly  of  beds  of  sandy  shale  with  some  sand- 
stone and  one  or  more  workable  beds  of  coal.  The  Spadra  shale  is  400 
to  500  feet  thick,  the  Fort  Smith  formation  375  to  425  feet,  and  the  Paris 
shale  60Q  to  700  feet.  Numerous  collections  of  fossil  plants  have  been  ob- 
tained from  the  McAlester  group. 

Savanna  formation. — Overlying  the  McAlester  group  there  is  in  the  pro- 
ductive coal  series  a  formation  consisting  of  several  sandstone  members  sep- 
arated by  shales.  This  is  known  as  the  Savanna  formation.  It  occurs  in 
Arkansas  only  in  the  tops  and  upper  slopes  of  Poteau,  Sugarloaf,  Short,  and 
Magazine  mountains.  That  part  of  the  Savanna  exposed  in  Arkansas  is  es- 
timated not  to  exceed  1,000  feet,  and  constitutes  approximately  the  lower 
two-thirds  of  the  entire  formation,  which  is  present  farther  west  in  Okla- 
homa. 


38  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  rocks  of  this  formation,  as  well  as  the  other  rocks  of  the  produc- 
tive coal  series,  are  all  more  or  less  folded,  so  that  the  shale  and  sandstone 
outcrops  depend  on  the  character  and  direction  of  these  folds  and  can 
therefore  be  determined  only  after  a  study  of  the  structure  of  the  region. 
It  can  be  said,  however,  that  the  shale  outcrops  generally  lie  in  the  valleys 
parallel  to  the  ridges  which  are  formed  by  sandstone. 

GULF  COASTAL  PLAIN. 
CRETACEOUS  SYSTEM. 
Lower  Cretaceous  Series 

Trinity  formation. — The  Trinity  formation  is  exposed  in  a  belt,  a  few 
miles  wide,  extending  from  a  point  near  Delight  westward  across  Pike,  How- 
ard and  Sevier  counties  and  thence  into  Oklahoma.  It  has  a  thickness  of 
over  600  feet  at  a  locality  2  miles  north  of  Center  Point,  Howard  County, 
and  probably  has  a  like  thickness  farther  west  in  Arkansas,  but  it  thins 
out  near  the  east  border  of  Pike  County.  It  consists  predominantly  of 
clay  but  includes  subordinate  beds  of  sand,  gravel,  and  limestone.  The  lime- 
stone contains  fossil  oysters  and  other  shells  and  occurs  in  two  beds,  the 
Dierks  limestone  lentil  and  the  De  Queen  limestone  member,  both  of  which 
are  exposed  in  narrow  belts.  The  De  Queen  limestone,  the  higher  of  the 
two,  is  near  the  middle  of  the  formation.  It  ranges  in  thickness  from  a 
feather  edge  to  72  feet,  and  its  outcrop  extends  from  Plaster  Bluff,  near 
Murfreesboro,  westward  through  De  Queen  into  Oklahoma.  It  is  not  pres- 
ent east  of  Plaster  Bluff.  The  Dierks  limestone  at  some  places  is  50  feet 
above  the  base  of  the  formation  and  at  others  is  probably  200  feet  above 
the  base.  Its  thickness  ranges  from  a  feather  edge  to  40  feet.  Its  outcrop 
extends  from  a  locality  about  2  miles  north  of  Delight  westward  to  Cossatot 
River,  where  it  thins  out.  The  gravel  also  occurs  in  two  beds  that  attain 
a  thickness  of  100  feet.  The  lower  of  the  two  gravels  is  at  the  base  of  the 
fortnation.  It  is  called  the  Pike  gravel  member  and  is  exposed  in  an  almost 
continuous  though  irregular  belt  from  the  west  side  of  the  State  to  the  east 
end  of  the  outcrop  of  the  Trinity.  The  upper  gravel,  the  Ultima  Thule  gravel 
lentil,  is  above  the  Dierks  limestone  and  is  exposed  in  an  irregular  belt  ex- 
tending from  Cossatot  River  westward  into  Oklahoma.  These  four  lentils 
and  members  and  the  interbedded  sands  and  clays  of  the  Trinity  have  a 
slight  southward  dip.  Although  the  Trinity  occupies  a  nearly  horizontal  po- 
sition it  rests  upon  the  truncated  upturned  edges  of  steeply  dipping  shales 
and  sandstones  of  Carboniferous  age,  which,  however,  form  a  smooth  floor 
that  has  only  minor  irregularities  and  undulations.  A  pronounced  uncon- 
formity therefore  occurs  at  the  base  of  the  Trinity. 

The  above-mentioned  gravels  are  composed  mostly  of  novaculite  pebbles. 
They  are  widely  distributed  and  constitute  a  very  large  supply  of  good  road 
material.  Gypsum  occurs  in  the  De  Queen  limestone  member  and  has  been 
prospected  in  a  small  way  near  Plaster  Bluff.  Limestone  in  this  member 
has  been  used  for  rough  building  stone  at  De  Queen,  but  neither  it  nor  the 
Dierks  limestone  is  pure  enough  for  making  lime. 

Goodland  limestone. — The  Goodland  limestone,  0  to  25  feet  thick,  is  a 
chalky  fossiliferous  limestone  and  is  exposed  on  Little  River  near  Cerro 
Gordo,  Little  River  County.  It  is  not  exposed  east  of  that  place. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  3\) 

Washita  group. — The  Washita  group  consists  of  calcareous  clays  and 
thin  beds  of  limestone  and  is  exposed  over  a  small  area  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  Little  River  County  where  it  has  a  total  thickness  of  over  250 
feet. 

Upper    Cretaceous    Series 

Bingen  formation. — The  Bingen  formation  receives  its  name  from  the 
village  of  Bingen,  Hempstead  County.  Its  area  of  outcrop  is  a  belt,  narrow 
to  the  east  and  wide  to  tine  west,  and  extends  in  a  west-southwestward  direc- 
tion from  the  vicinity  of  Clear  Spring,  Clark  County,  across  Pike,  Hemp- 
stead,  Howard,  and  Sevier  counties.  The  formation  ranges  in  thickness 
from  a  feather  edge  to  580  feet,  being  thickest  to  the  southwest.  It  is  com- 
posed of  sand,  clay,  and  gravel,  and  near  Tokio  and  farther  east  contains 
beds  to  which  the  name  Tokio  sand  member  has  been  applied.  This  mem- 
ber is  in  fact  the  only  part  of  the  formation  exposed  east  of  Little  Missouri 
River  and  is  the  only  part  that  contains  beds  of  quartz  sand. 

The  gravel  in  the  Bingen  occurs  in  several  beds.  The  southward  slop- 
ing plateau  on  which  Center  Point,  Howard  County,  is  located  and  a  similar 
plateau  west  of  Lockesburg,  Sevier  County,  owe  their  preservation  and  prom- 
inence to  these  gravels.  The  thickest  and  also  the  most  widely  distributed 
bed  which  is  as  much  as  60  feet  thick,  is  at  the  base.  These  different  gravel 
deposits  resemble  one  another  as  well  as  those  of  the  Trinity  formation  and 
are  well  adapted  for  road  making.  They  are  composed  of  partly  rounded  to 
well-rounded  pebbles  usually  1  inch  or  less  in  diameter,  and  most  of  the 
pebbles  are  novaculite. 

Among  the  other  kinds  of  pebbles  there  are  various  types  of  igneous 
rocks,  which  are  similar  to  or  identical  with  some  of  the  crystalline  rocks  of 
Arkansas.  These  are  found  in  the  basal  part  of  the  formation  from  the 
vicinity  of  Murfreesboro  westward. 

A  greenish  cross-bedded  arkosic  sand  composed  of  kaolinized  feldspar 
and  a  less  amount  of  other  minerals  is  widely  distributed  west  and  north- 
west of  Tokio  and  Highland.  Besides  the  sand  just  described  the  for- 
mation contains  red,  light-colored  and  dark-colored  clays  and  quartz  sand. 
The  light-colored  clays  are  in  beds  reaching  a  thickness  of  5  to  6  feet  and 
consist  of  plastic  ball  clays  and  nonplastic  kaolins.  A  5-foot  bed  of  kaolin 
in  the  NE.  %  SE.  &  sec.  24,  T.  8  S.,  R.  25  W.,  is  reported  to  be  fullers  earth. 
Some  of  the  clays  contain  fossil  plants. 

Brownstown  marl. — The  Brownstown  marl  is  the  surface  formation  in  a 
belt  a  few  miles  wide  extending  in  an  east-northeastward  direction  from  the 
vicinity  of  Brownstown,  Sevier  County,  to  the  vicinity  of  Hollywood,  Clark 
County.  In  the  western  part  of  the  belt  where  it  is  thickest  it  attains  a 
thickness  of  650  feet.  It  is  a  blue  or  gray  calcareous  clay  containing  many 
fossil  oysters  and  is  characterized  by  the  presence  of  the  large  oyster  Exo- 
gyra  ponderosa,  whence  it  has  sometimes  been  called  the  "Exogyra  ponde- 
rosa  marl."  The  soil  derived  from  the  formation,  when  not  mixed  with  sur- 
ficial  deposits,  is  black  and  waxy,  but  the  subsoil  is  yellow. 

Austin  ("Annona")  chalk.— The  Austin  chalk  consists  of  white  chalk, 
which  at  White  Cliffs,  Sevier  County,  has  a  thickness  of  over  100  feet,  but 
thins  out  rapidly  to  the  east,  disappearing  entirely  before  reaching  Okolona, 
Clark  County,  where  it  is  composed  only  of  chalky  marl.  To  the  west  out- 
crops are  found  at  Rocky  Comfort.  Little  River  County.  The  chalk  was 
formerly  used  in  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement  at  White  Cliffs. 


40  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Marlbrook  marl. — The  Marlbrook  marl  consists  of  blue,  chalky,  some- 
what glauconitic  marls,  which  are  impure  chalk  at  some  places.  The  most 
extensive  outcrops  of  this  formation  are  along  the  ridge  which  extends  from 
Marlbrook,  the  type  locality  in  Hempstead  County,  to  Saratoga,  in  southern 
Howard  County.  It  forms  a  stiff  black  soil.  About  200  to  300  feet  above  the 
base  of  this  formation  is  a  very  chalky  layer  20  to  50  feet  thick,  which  has 
been  called  the  "Saratoga  chalk  marl"  or  the  "Saratoga  formation."  It  is 
exposed  in  the  Marlbrook-Saratoga  region  at  the  town  of  Okolona,  where  it 
is  called  "cistern  rock;"  at  Dobyville,  and  on  Little  and  Big  Deciper  creeks 
in  Clark  County.  The  thickness  of  the  Marlbrook  marl  ranges  from  750  feet 
at  Texarkana  to  50  feet  or  less  at  Arkadelphia. 

Nacatoch  sand. — Above  the  Marlbrook  marl  is  a  series  of  sandy  beds 
which  are  of  vast  economic  importance  to  a  strip  of  country  along  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  Railway  between  Arkadelphia  and  Texarkana,  since  they  are  the 
source  of  the  main  water  supply  of  that  region.  Like  the  other  sandy  beds 
of  the  Cretaceous,  at  the  outcrop  they  are  distinguished  with  difficulty  from 
the  surficial  sands  that  mantle  the  region.  However,  the  thousands  of  wells 
which  have  been  sunk  to  this  horizon  prove  conclusively  that  the  outcrop 
of  this  bed  produces  the  belt  of  sandy  land  which  begins  on  Yellow  Creek 
south  of  Saratoga  and  extends,  with  interruptions  of  greater  or  less  im- 
portance, along  the  main  drainage  channels,  through  Washington,  De  Ann, 
Garlandville,  Nacatoch  Bluff,  and  Keyton,  and  finally  reaches  Ouachita  River 
at  High  Bluffs  above  Arkadelphia. 

Nacatoch  Bluff,  on  Little  Missouri  River,  in  Clark  County,  from  which 
the  sand  takes  its  name,  reveals  one  of  the  most  complete  exposures  occur- 
ring along  this  belt  and  shows  calcareous  and  quartzitic  rocks  which,  when 
encountered  in  wells,  are  called  "water  rocks." 

In  the  western  part  of  this  region  the  sands  are  rather  light  in  color, 
although  about  Hope  they  are  overlain  by  a  very  black  sandy  layer  3  to  15 
feet  thick,  and  have  an  aggregate  thickness  of  about  100  to  160  feet.  Toward 
Arkadelphia  the  sand  grows  darker  and  thinner.  In  the  well  of  the  Arkadel- 
phia Ice  and  Fuel  Co.  it  appears  to  extend  from  100  to  160  feet,  and  is  there- 
fore about  60  feet  thick.  In  a  well  at  Prescott,  it  is  reported  to  be  176 
feet  thick.  It  is  apparently  178  feet  thick  in  a  well  at  Bodcaw,  Nevada 
County,  and  is  at  least  185  feet  thick  in  a  well  near  Fulton,  Hempstead 
County. 

Marls  encountered  in  wells  at  Little  Rock,  at  Cabot,  Lonoke  County, 
and  Beebe,  White  County,  contain  a  fauna  corresponding  in  age  to  the 
fauna  of  the  Nacatoch  sand.  There  are  small  exposures  of  beds  of  Upper 
Cretaceous  age  in  the  vicinity  of  Newark.  Independence  County,  and  the 
meager  fauna  found  in  the  beds  indicate  that  they  are  probably  of  the 
same  age  as  the  Nacatoch  sand. 

Arkadelphia  clay. — The  dark  laminated  clays  which  overlie  the  Nacatoch 
aand  form  the  "blue  dirt"  of  the  well  drillers  along  the  line  of  the  Missouri 
Pacifig  Railway  from  Arkadelphia  to  Texarkana.  These  beds  contain  upper- 
most Cretaceous  fossils  for  100  to  200  feet  above  the  Nacatoch  sands,  the 
fossil-bearing  beds  being  well  developed  on  Yellow  Creek  3  to  4  miles  north- 
west of  Fulton,  5  to  6  miles  north  of  Hope,  north  and  northwest  of  Emmet, 
and  at  Arkadelphia.  Thus  far  no  fossils  have  been  found  in  the  upper  por- 
tion of  this  formation,  which  extends  without  any  apparent  break  to  the 
Eocene  sand  beds  forming  the  sandy  hills  south  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Rail- 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  41 

way.  This  absence  of  fossils,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  Midway 
(Eocene)  formation,  though  commonly  characterized  by  limestones,  con- 
tains dark-colored  clays,  makes  the  exact  determination  of  the  top  of  the 
Cretaceous  in  this  section  particularly  difficult. 

The  total  thickness  of  the  Arkadelphia  clay,  excluding  the  beds  which 
appear  to  be  stratigraphically  Eocene,  is  from  200  to  300  feet  at  Arkadelphia, 
500  feet  at  Laneburg,  500  to  600  feet  at  Hope  and  Spring  Hill,  and  500  feet 
at  Texarkana. 

TERTIARY   SYSTEM. 
Eocene   Series 

Eocene  deposits,  including  in  ascending  order  the  Midway,  Wilcox,  Clai- 
borne,  and  Jackson  formations,  1,000  feet  or  more  in  aggregate  thickness, 
form  the  core  of  Crowleys  Ridge;  they  are  exposed  in  the  uplands  which 
occupy  much  of  south-central  Arkansas,  south  of  Little  Rock;  and  they  are 
exposed  in  small  areas  along  the  western  margin  of  the  Coastal  Plain  from 
Little  Rock  northeastward  to  the  southern  part  of  Independence  County. 
The  formations  of  Eocene  age  are  more  or  less  similar  in  character,  and 
comprise  sands,  clays,  marls,  and  some  limestones  and  workable  beds  of 
lignite.  These  beds  dip  gently  to  the  southeast;  they  are  all  more  or  less 
sandy;  and  but  few  of  them  are  hard  and  consolidated.  At  the  lignite  mines 
of  Ouachita  County,  however,  some  of  the  sands  are  indurated  to  very  com- 
pact sandstones,  and  at  some  places  in  Crowleys  Ridge  they  form  the  hard- 
est of  quartzites.  At  and  near  Piggott  in  Clay  County,  Benton  in  Saline 
County,  Malvern  in  Hot  Spring  County,  Fordyce  in  Dallas  County,  Lester  in 
Ouachita  County,  and  other  places  there  are  valuable  deposits  of  potter's 
clay  and  fire  clay. 

Pliocene    (?)    Series 

Gravels  and  sands,  possibly  of  Pliocene  age,  occur  in  Crowleys  Ridge  and 
cover  the  foothills  of  Lawrence,  Independence,  and  probably  other  counties. 

QUATERNARY  SYSTEM. 

A  sheet  of  sedimentary  materials,  200  feet  or  less  thick,  which  consist 
of  sands,  clays,  and  gravels,  cover  the  Tertiary  area  of  the  State  and  some 
of  the  adjacent  Palezoic  rocks  and  yield  large  quantities  of  water  which  is 
extensively  used  in  the  culture  of  rice.  The  country  lying  north  of  Arkansas 
River  and  east  of  the  Palezoic  hills  belongs  mostly  to  the  Quaternary.  The 
lowest  strata  exposed  in  Crowleys  Ridge  belong  to  the  Eocene.  All  the  river 
bottoms  are  of  recent  origin,  while  t'he  loess,  140  feet  or  less  thick,  which  caps 
Crowleys  Ridge  and  likewise  the  river  terraces  and  second  bottoms  of  all 
the  important  streams  belong  to  the  Pleistocene. 

Bibliography. 

The  list  of  reports  given  below  includes  only  those  that  were  used  in 
the  preparation  of  the  above  chapter  on  the  topography  and  geology  of  Ar- 
kansas. These  represent  a  very  small  percentage  of  the  total  number  of 
publications  on  the  geology  of  the  State.  A  complete  bibliography  of  the 
geology  of  the  State  by  J.  C.  Branner  was  published  in  1894  in  Volume  2 
of  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  for  1891,  and  a  sec- 
ond bibliography  by  him,  listing  all  of  the  titles  up  to  1909,  was  published 
by  the  same  Survey. 


42  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Published    Reports. 

1891.*   Williams,  J.  F.,  The  igneous  rocks  of  Arkansas:     Arkansas  Geol.  Survey 
Ann.  Kept,  for  1890,  vol.  2. 

1892.  Griswold,  L.  S.,  Whetstones  and  the  novaculites  of  Arkansas.     Arkansas 

Geol.   Survey  Ann.   Kept,    for   1890,   vol.   3. 

1893.  Hopkins,   T.   C.,   Marbles  and  other   limestones:      Arkansas  Geol.    Survey 

Ann.   Kept,   for  1890,  vol.   4. 
1900.     Branner,  J.  C.,  The  lead  and  zinc  region  of  north  Arkansas:     Arkansas 

Geol.  Survey  Ann.  Kept,  for  1892,  vol.  5. 
1904.     Adams,  G.  I.,  Purdue,  A.  H.,  and  Burchard,  E.  F.,  Zinc  and  lead  deposits 

of  northern  Arkansas:     U.  S.   Geol.  Survey  Prof.   Paper  24.      (Out  of 

print.) 
Ulrich,  E.  O.,  Determination  and  correlation  of  formations  [of  northern 

Arkansas]:     U.   S.   Geol.   Survey  Prof.   Paper  24,  pp.    yO-113.      (Out  of 

print.) 

1905      Adams,  G.  I.  and  Ulrich,  E.  O.,  Description  of  the  Fayetteville  quadran- 
gle:    U.  S.  Geol.   Survey,  Geol.  Atlas,  Fayetteville  folio   (Xo.    119). 

1906.  Veatch,    A.    C.,    Geology   and    underground    water    resources    of    northern 

Louisiana  and  southern  Arkansas:  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Prof.  Paper  46. 
(Out  of  print.) 

1907.  Purdue,    A.    H.,    Description    of    the    Winslow    quadrangle:      U.    S.    Geol. 

Survey,  Geol.   Atlas,  Winslow  folio    (No.   154).        (Out  of  print.) 
,    Developed    phosphate    deposits    of    northern    Arkansas: 

U.  S.  Geol.   Survey  Bull.  315,  pp.   463-473.      (Out  of  print.) 
Collier,  A.  J.,  The  Arkansas  coal  field:     U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.   326. 

1908.  Branner,  J.  C.,  The  clays  of  Arkansas:     U.   S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.    351. 

1909.  Purdue,  A.  H.,  The  slates  of  Arkansas:     Arkansas  Geol.  Survey. 

1913.  Eckel,    E.    C.,    Portland    cement    materials    and    industry    in    the    United 

States:     U.  S.   Geol.   Survey  Bull.   522. 

1914.  Smith,    C.    D.,    Structure    of   the    Fort    Smith-Poteau    gas    field,   Arkansas 

and  Oklahoma:  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  541,  pp.  23-33.  (Out  of 
print.) 

1915.  Siebenthal,  C.  E.,  Origin  of  the  zinc  and  lead  deposits  of  the  Joplin  re- 

gion, Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Oklahoma:     U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  606. 
Mead,  W.  J.,  Occurrence  and  origin  of  the  bauxite  deposits  of  Arkansas: 
Econ.   Geology,   vol.    10,   pp.   28-54. 

1916.  Stephenson,    L.    W.,    and    Crider,    A.    F.,    Geology   and    ground    waters    of 

northeastern  Arkansas:     U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Water  Supply  Paper  399. 
Purdue,  A.  H.,  and  Miser,  H.  D.,  Description  of  the  Eureka  Springs  and 
Harrison    quadrangles:      U.    S.    Geol.    Survey,    Geol.    Atlas,     Eureka 
Springs-Harrison   folio    (No.   202). 

1917.  Miser,    H.    D.,    Manganese    deposits    of    the    Caddo    Gap    and    De    Queen 

quadrangles,  Arkansas:     U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  660,  pp.  59-122. 
Schrader,   F.  C.,  Stone,   R.   W.,   and  Sanford,   Samuel,  Useful   minerals   of 
the  United  States:     U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  624. 

1918.  Stephenson,  L.  W.,  and  Miser,  H.  D.,  Camp  Pike  and  the  adjacent  coun- 

try: Text  on  back  of  topographic  map.  Little  Rock  quadrangle, 
U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Miser,  H.  D.,  and  Purdue,  A.  H.,  Gravel  deposits  of  the  Caddo  Gap  and 
De  Queen  quadrangles,  Arkansas:  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  690,  pp. 
15-29. 

.  Asphalt  deposits  and  oil  conditions  in  southwestern  Ar- 
kansas: U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  691,  pp.  271-292. 

Unpublished    Reports 

Miser,  H.  D.,  Diamond-bearing  peridotite  in  Arkansas:  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey Bull.  (Manuscript  not  completed.) 

,  Manganese  ore  deposits  of  the  Batesville  district,  Arkan- 
sas: U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  (Preliminary  report  in  press  and  de- 
tailed report  almost  ready  for  press.) 

Purdue,  A.  H.,  and  Miser,  H.  D.,  Description  of  the  De  Queen  and  Caddo 
Gap  quadrangles:  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  Geol.  Atlas,  De  Queen-Caddo 
Gap  folio.  (In  course  of  preparation.) 

— ,  Description  of  the  Hot  Springs  special  quadrangle:  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey,  Geol.  Atlas,  Hot  Springs  folio.  (In  course  of  prepara- 
tion.) 

Ulrich,  E.  O.,  Description  of  the  Yellville  quadrangle:  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey, Geol.  Atlas,  Yellville  folio.  (In  course  of  preparation.) 


'The  numbers  in  this  column  are  the  dates  of  the  publication  of  the  reports. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  43 

MINERALS  AND  ECONOMIC 
PRODUCTS. 


METALLIFEROUS  MINERALS. 


Antimony 


Since  1873  antimony  has  been  mined  intermittently  in  Sevier  and  How- 
ard counties,  near  Antimony  and  Gillham.  This  field  is  believed  to  extend 
westward  into  Oklahoma.  With  refernce  to  the  antimony  deposits  John  T. 
Fuller,  in  a  special  report  to  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agri- 
culture in  1913,  made  the  following  statement: 

"The  rocks  of  the  antimony  region  are  alternating  thinly  bedded  sand- 
stones and  sandy  or  muddy  shales,  of  Pennsylvanian  and  Mississippian  age. 
They  are  of  a  light-yellowish  or  drab  color  where  exposed,  and  dark  gray 
to  black  where  unweathered.  The  rocks  have  been  thrown  into  very  regu- 
lar parallel  folds  running  a  trifle  north  of  east.  The  folds  are  so  close  that 
in  many  places  the  dip  of  the  rocks  approaches  perpendicularity,  and  so 
regular  that  the  strike  of  the  rocks  is  sometimes  used  to  tell  direction. 

"The  original  minerals  found  in  the  veins  are  quartz,  stibnite,  jameson- 
ite,  zinkenite,  galena,  sphalerite,  pyrite,  chalcopyrite,  siderite,  and  calcite. 
Traces  are  found  of  arsenic,  bismuth,  cadmium,  cobalt  (?),  silver  and  min- 
utely and  rarely,  gold.  Cervantite  and  bindheimite  occur  as  oxidation  prod- 
ucts of  stibnite  and  jamesonite,  respectively. 

"The  ores  have  been  mostly  rather  pure  oxide  and  sulphide  of  antimony, 
or  lead  ores,  in  many  places  silver  bearing,  for  40  to  115  feet  from  the  surface, 
below  which  sphalerite  and  other  impurities  begin  to  come  in.  The  ores 
which  are  easily  oxidizable,  or  those  whose  oxidation  products  are  readily 
soluble,  have  been  more  or  less  completely  leached  from  the  upper  portions 
of  the  veins  to  the  depth  mentioned,  which  probably  corresponds  to  the 
lower  limit  of  variation  of  the  ground-water  surface. 

"The  minerals  occurring  in  the  veins  are  deposited  upon  the  faces  of 
the  quartz  crystals  forming  the  combs,  and  are  therefore  younger  than  most 
of  the  quartz,  although  a  certain  amount  of  quartz  has  been  deposited  later 
with  the  metallic  minerals. 

"There  is  a  central  area  through  which  the  veins  predominantly  carry 
stibnite;  elsewhere  either  the  other  minerals  preponderate  or  no  stibnite  is 
present.  This  area  runs  northeastward  from  the  Otto  mine  to  the  May — a 
distance  of  about  8  miles  in  a  direct  line,  and  is  perhaps  2  miles  wide. 

"The  ore  bodies  occur  in  thin  lenticular  masses  whose  longest  dimen- 
sion approaches  verticality  and  may  reach  more  than  100  feet.  The  width 
may  be  from  3  or  4  feet  to  20  or  even  40  feet;  the  tihickness  ranges  from  a 
"feather-edge"  to  2y2  feet." 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  45 


REFERENCES. 

Comstock,  T.  B. — Annual  Report,  Geol.  Surv.  of  Ark.,  1888,  Vol.  I,  pp. 
136,  140,  142,  144-145. 

Wang;,  C.  V. — Antimony:  its  history,  chemistry,  etc.  Philadelphia.  1909. 
(Contains  bibliography.) 

Hess,  F.  L,. — The  Arkansas  antimony  deposits.  Bulletin  No.  340,  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Washington,  1908. 

Williams,  Charles  P. — Occurrence  of  antimony  in  Arkansas.  Transactions 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  Ill,  May,  1874. 

Dunningrton,  F.  P. — Antimony  ores  in  Sevier  County,  Arkansas.  Proceed- 
ings of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  for  1887, 
Vol.  XXVI,  Salem,  1878. 

Santos,  J.  R. — Analysis  of  native  antimony  ore  from  Sevier  County,  Ar- 
kansas. Chemical  News,  Vol.  XXXVI,  London,  October,  1877. 

Wait,  Charles  E. — The  antimony  deposits  of  Arkansas.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc., 
Vol.  I,  Pamphlet. 

Shriver,  Ellsworth  H. — Antimony  deposits  of  Arkansas.  Min.  &  Sci. 
Press,  Vol.  114,  pp.  920-922. 


Bauxite 

HISTORICAL    FOREWORD    BY    DOCTOR    BRANNER. 

The  Arkansas  bauxite  deposits  were  discovered  by  me  the  last  week  in 
June,  1887,  at  several  places  where  they  were  then  exposed  along  the  turn- 
pike running  south  from  Little  Rock  to  Sweet  Home,  and  a  little  more  than 
one  mile  south  of  where  the  road  crosses  Fourche  Bayou.  It  is  not  to  be 
understood  that  the  material  was  not  known  before  that  date.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  the  bed  of  the  turnpike  near  Sweet  Home  was  mostly  made  of  bauxite, 
and  one  gentleman  afterwards  informed  me  that  he  and  his  brother  had 
driven  oxen  over  "that  stuff"  forty  years  before. 

There  is  an  old  report  on  Fourche  Cove,  by  Dr.  W.  Byrd  Powell,  publish- 
ed at  Little  Rock  in  1842,  which  mentions  what  the  author  called  "an  ex- 
tensive amygdaloid  formation  within  the  cove  and  also  upon  the  eastern  side 
of  it  *  *  *  *  At  one  locality  the  amygdaloids  are  small,  resembling 
a  mass  of  peas."  It  is  quite  evident  tliat  this  refers  to  the  pisolitic  bauxite, 
though  the  writer  did  not  recognize  it  as  such?  and  he  thought  some  of  it  was 
jasper. 

Dr.  Owen,  who  was  state  geologict  of  Arkansas  from  1857  to  1860,  also 
refers  to  "ferruginous  amygdaloid  of  rather  peculiar  character,"  and  says  that 
"the  amygdules  are  very  globular,  so  that  the  rock  has  much  the  appearance 
of  peastone,"  but  though  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  refers  to  the  bauxite, 
there  is  no  evidence  that  either  he  or  Dr.  Powell  suspected  the  true  nature 
of  the  material.  .  At  the  time  of  these  writers  bauxite  was  very  little 
known  even  in  Europe,  and  it  was  not  known  at  all  in  America. 

But  no  announcement  was  made  and  none  could  be  made  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  nature  of  these  deposits  until  the  matter  had  been  placed  beyond 
reasonable  doubt.  Much  work  had  to  be  done  both  in  the  field  and  in  the 
laboratory  before  the  discovery  could  be  confirmed  and  made  known.  Mean- 
while the  state  geologist  had  many  other  duties  that  demanded  his  attention. 
It  was  not  until  January  7,  1891,  that  enough  work  had  been  done  to  warrant 
the  announcement  of  the  discovery.  On  that  day  a  preliminary  report  was 
addressed  to  Governor  Eagle,  giving  chemical  analyses  of  the  bauxite,  the 
approximate  location  of  the  deposits  that  had  been  determined  up  to  that 
time,  and  some  general  information  about  its  uses.  This  original  report  to 


46  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Governor  Eagle  was  first  published  in  the  Arkansas  Gazette  and  in  the  Ark- 
ansas Democrat  of  January  8,  1891.  It  was  also  reproduced  in  the  third  and 
forth  biennial  reports  of  the  Commission  of  Mines  in  1894  and  in  1896,  and 
abstracts  of  it  were  published  in  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  London. 

I  was  a  hopeful  young  man  in  those  days,  and  I  felt  sure  that  the 
world  would  want  these  valuable  deposits,  for  I  knew  they  were  the  first 
considerable  one  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  America  up  to  that  time.  But 
the  world  went  about  its  business  the  n'5Xt  day  very  much  as  usual.  Evident- 
ly bauxite  didn't  interest  people.  It  was  somewhat  disappointing,  especially 
as  there  was  considerable  opposition  to  the  continuation  of  the  work  of 
the  State  Geological  Survey,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  announcement  of 
the  importance  of  the  bauxite  deposits  might  lead  the  Legislature  to  have 
more  confidence  in  the  practical  value  of  the  survey's  work.  The  opposition 
grinned,  and  remarked  that  Branner  had  discovered  a  mare's  nest.  What 
the  Legislature  thought  about  it  I  never  knew. 

Assuming  that  it  would  only  require  a  remainder  to  some  of  the  chemical 
manufacturing  companies  to  get  them  interested,  I  wrote  to  the  Pittsburg 
Reduction  Works  calling  their  attention  to  the  deposits  of  bauxite  awaiting 
development  in  Arkansas.  The  subject  did  not  interest  them.  I  then  went 
to  Syracuse,  New  York,  and  personally  spoke  to  the  superintendent  of  the 
Solvay  Process  Company  about  the  matter.  I  pointed  out  the  character 
of  the  material,  the  extent  and  accessibility  of  the  deposits,  and  the  low 
price  at  which  the  lands  could  probably  be  had  at  that  time.  If  I  offered  to 
sell  him  a  gold  brick  he  could  not  have  been  less  interested. 

Meanwhile  the  world  was  turning  round,  and  there  was  much  work  to 
be  done  on  the  geology  of  Arkansas.  Requests  were  received  occasionally 
for  specimens  or  for  information,  and  these  were  referred  to  the  Little  Rock 
Board  of  Trade,  or  to  the  banks,  or  Lo  the  Commissioner  of  Mines.  Mean- 
while the  news  of  the  existence  of  the  deposits  spread  slowly  through  the 
northern  states  and  in  Europe.  I  have  never  followed  the  history  of  the 
development  of  the  industry.  Nor  aid  I  ever  find  time  to  prepare  a 
full  report  on  the  geology.  Cnly  two  brief  papers  were  published  by  me 
on  the  subject  in  the  scientific  journals:  one  in  the  American  Geologist 
for  March  1891,  pp.  181-183,  and  the  other  in  the  Journal  of  Geology,  Vol. 
V.  April-May,  1897,  pp.  263-289.  The  latter  contains  the  first  published 
bibliography  of  bauxite. 

The  earliest  published  statistics  of  production  do  not  show  exactly  when 
the  shipment  of  bauxite  from  the  state  began.  The  first  year  for  which 
figures  have  been  published  is  1899.  when  5045  tons  were  shipped.  The 
business  seems  to  have  been  well  on  its  feet  by  1903  when  the  shipment 
amounted  to  25,713  tons.  In  1909  it  had  reached  106.874  tons;  from  that 
on  the  statistics  are  given  in  the  following  table. 

Stanford  University,  California,  JOHN  C.  BRANNER. 

June  18,  1920. 


Rapid  Growth  of  the  Bauxite  Mining   Industry. 

Arkansas'  bauxite  production  has  increased  so  rapidly  that  since  1910 
the  State  has  produced  over  80  per  ceiit  of  the  bauxite  mined  in  this  country. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


47 


In  1915  the  output  was  more  than  90  per  cent  of  the  total  and  has  continued 
at  this  rate  to  the  present  time. 

The  only  operators  of  importance  in  1920  are  the  Republic  Mining  and 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Little  Rock;  the  American  Bauxite  Company  of 
Bauxite;  the  Globe  Bauxite  Company  of  Chemical  Spur;  and  the  Du  Pont 
Chemical  Company  of  Wilmington,  Delaware. 

From  a  report  on  the  "Occurrence  and  Origin  of  the  Bauxite  Deposits  of 
Arkansas,"  by  W.  J.  Mead,  published  in  Economic  Geology,  Vol.  X,  No.  I,  Jan- 
uary, 1915,  is  quoted  the  following: 

"The  major  part  of  the  production  comes  from  what  is  known  as  the 
Bauxite  District,  sometimes  called  the  Bryant  District,  lying  about  18  miles 


Map  of  the  Arkansas  Bauxite  Area. 

southwest  of  the  city  of  Little  Rock  and  covering  an  area  of  about  12  square 
miles  in  Bryant  township  of  Saline  county.  The  second  and  less  important 
district  is  known  as  the  Fourche  Mountain  District,  lying  immediately  south 
of  the  city  limits  of  Little  Rock  in  Pulaski  county  and  embracing  an  area 
somewhat  larger  than  the  Bauxite  District.  The  two  areas  are  about  14 
miles  apart. 

"A  study  of  the  general  geology,  chemistry  and  mineralogy  of  the  de- 
posits has  lead  to  the  following  conclusions: 


48  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


"The  bauxite  and  associated  clays  are  the  products  of  surface  weather- 
ing of  the  syenite  by  normal  processes  of  rock  decomposition,  and  are  in  no 
sense  chemical  sediments. 

"Bauxite  deposits  occurring  on  the  syenite  surface  have  developed  in 
situ  from  the  syenite. 

"The  deposits  developed  in  situ  from  the  syenite  show  evidence  of 
downward  secondary  concentration  of  alumina. 

"Bauxite  lenses  occurring  interstratified  with  the  tertiary  sediments 
consist  of  material  which  has  been  removed  from  its  place  of  origin  by  ter- 
tiary streams. 

"The  texture  of  the  kaolinized  syenite  has  been  essential  to  the  altera- 
tion of  the  kaolin  in  bauxite. 

"The  oolitic,  or  pisolitic  texture  of  the  bauxite  has  developed  in  place 
from  the  granitic,  or  amorphous  types  of  bauxite." 

Dr.  Chas.  W.  Hayes  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  in  1900  made  a  very 
complete  report  on  the  bauxite  deposits  of  Arkansas.  In  that  report  Dr. 
Hayes  made  some  estimates  on  the  quantity  of  ore  in  the  Arkansas  deposits, 
and  says: 

"It  should  be  definitely  understood  that  the  areas  represented,  have  not 
been  tested  in  such  a  manner  as  to  determine  whether  or  not  they  contain 
bauxite.  The  estimates  as  to  the  extent  of  the  ore  are  based  entirely  upon 
inference  and  from  observed  relations  at  its  outcrop,  and  as  represented,  it 
can  be  regarded  at  best  as  only  an  approximation  to  the  actual  conditions." 

Dr.  Hayes  estimated  that  there  was  approximately,  at  the  time  of  his 
examination,  50,000,000  tons  of  bauxite  in  the  Bauxite  Districts  of  Arkansas. 
Later  mining  and  exploration  of  these  deposits  have  demonstrated  that  the 
words  of  warning  which  Dr.  Hayes  made  as  to  the  approximation  of  his  es- 
timates and  the  possibility  of  error,  were  justifiable. 

"Actual  mining  and  prospecting  operations  have  demonstrated  that  Dr. 
Hayes'  approximate  estimates  are  far  in  excess  of  the  actual  quantities  of 
bauxite,"  states  John  T.  Fuller,  superintendent  of  the  American  Bauxite 
Company's  plant.  "It  is  still  impossible  to  estimate  with  any  degree  of  ex- 
actness the  quantity  of  bauxite  of  merchantable  grade  in  Arkansas,  and  the 
lessons  learned  since  Dr.  Hayes'  estimate  was  made,  have  confirmed  the 
opinion  that  any  estimates  made  on  a  bauxite  deposit  based  on  outcrops, 
or  geological  inference,  are  highly  speculative  and  dangerous.  Based  on 
mining  and  prospecting  operations  since  1900,  a  conservative  estimates  of 
the  amount  of  bauxite  on  the  areas  listed  by  Dr.  Hayes  would  place  it  at 
1-10  of  Dr.  Hayes'  figures,  or  approximately  5,000,000  tons  from  which  must 
be  deducted  the  bauxite  mined  since  1900." 

Each  bauxite  deposit  opened  up  shows  several  different  qualities  of  ore 
and  the  quality  of  ore  exposed  in  the  mining  faces  varies  considerably 
from  time  to  time,  according  to  Mr.  Fuller.  It  is  necessary  to- have  constant 
analyses  made  of  the  mine  facies  in  order  that  only  ore  of  pure  enough  qual- 
ity is  shipped  to  the  consumers.  The  range  in  quality  of  the  merchantable 
ore  is  shown  by  the  following  analyses,  which  may  be  taken  as  average 
analyses  of  any  of  fhe  mine  facies. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


49 


57,14 
57.14 
59.75 


3.86 
3.86 
2.37 


SiO* 
7.15 
7.15 

4.78 


Ti02 
2.26 
2.26 
2.25 


Loss  on  Ign. 
29.59 
30.77 
30.85 


Moisture 
1.63 
9.81 
1.50 


Users  of  Bauxite 

Aluminum  Co.  of  America,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Booth  Chemical  Co.,  P.  O.  Box  203,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

Carborundum  Co.,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Charles  Lennig  &  Co.  (Inc.),  112  South  Front  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Charles  Taylor  Sons  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Columbus  Waterworks,  R.  F.  5,  Columbus,  O. 

Cumberland  Waterworks,  R.  D.  3,  Cumberland,  Md. 

Detroit  Chemical  Works,  238  Junction  Avenue,  Detroit,  Mich. 

E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours  Powder  Co.,  Wilmington,  Del. 

Erie  Chemical  Works,  31  Union  Square,  W.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Exolon  Co.,  156  Sixth  Street,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

General  Abrasives  Co.,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

General  Refractories  Co.,  Trinity  Building,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Harbison-Walker  Refractories  Co.,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Jarecki  Chemical  Co.,  St.  Bernard  Station,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Laclede-Christy  Clay  Products  Co.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Massillon  Stone  &  Fire  Brick  Co.,  Massillon,  Ohio. 

Merrimac  Chemical  Co.,  33  Broad  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Metropolitan  Water  District  of  Omaha,  Omaha,  Neb. 

Montclair  Waterworks,  Little  Falls,  N.  J. 

Norton  Co.,  Worcester,  Mass,     (also  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.) 

Pennsylvania  Salt  Manufacturing  Co.,  Widener  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Springfield  Waterworks,  Springfield,  Mass. 

Superior  Chemical  Co.,  Joliet,  111. 

Production    of    Bauxite    in    the    United    States    By   States. 
(In    Tons    2240    Pounds.) 


States    1  1910 

1911 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

1 
1917   1918 

Alabama  
Georgia  

33,096 
115.,836 

30,170 
125,448 

19,587 
14,173 

126,105 

27,409 
182,832 

18,547 
200,771 

25,008 
272,033 

46,410 
378,949 

425,359 

1 
! 
62,134  37,000 

506,5561532,000 

Tennessee  
Arkansas  

Total 

148,9321155,618 

I 

159,865)210,241 

1 

219,318|297,041 

i 

568.690)569,000 

REFERENCES. 

Ashley,  G.  H. — Bauxite  mining  in  Tennessee;  The  Resources  of  Tennessee 
Vol.  1,  No.  6,  1911,  pp.  211-219. 

Aubrey-  J.  A. — The  Refractory  uses  of  bauxite.  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.. 
Feb.  3d,  1906,  pp.  217-218.  . 

Brj»nner..  J.  C. — A  preliminary  report  upon  the  bauxite  deposits  of  Arkan- 
sas with  locations  and  analyses.  Arkansas  Gazette,  Little  Rock,  Jan.  8,  1891. 
(This  was  the  original  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  the  deposits.) 

Berger,  W.  F.  B. — Bauxite  in  Arkansas.  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour,  Apr.  14, 
1904,  pp.  606-607. 

Branner,  J.  C. — The  Bauxite  deposits  of  Arkansas.  Jour.  Geology,  Vol.  5. 
1897,  pp.  263-289.  (Contains  a  bibliography  of  bauxite.) 


50  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Day,  David  T. — Arkansas  (bauxite)  21st  Annual  Report,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv., 
Part  VI,  1901. 

Engineering  and  Mining  Journal. — Bauxite  brick.  Issue  for  January  19, 
1905,  p.  154. 

Hayes,  C.  W. — Bauxite.  Mineral  Resources,  U.  S.  for  1893,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv., 
1894,  pp.  159-167. 

.  The  geological  relations  of  the  southern  Appalachian  baux- 
ite deposits.  Trans.  Am.  Inst.  Min.  Eng.,  Vol.  24,  1895,  243-254. 

.     Bauxite,    its    occurrence,    geology,    origin,    economic    value. 

Sixteenth  Ann.  Rept.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  pt.   3,   1895,  pp.   547-597. 

.     The  Arkansas  bauxite  deposits.     Twenty-first  Ann.  Rept.  U. 

S.  Geol.  Surv.,  pt.  3,   1901,  pp.  435-472. 

Holland,  T.  H. — The  occurrence  of  bauxite  in  India.  Records  Geol.  Surv., 
India,  Vol.  32,  pt.  2,  1905,  pp.  175-184. 

Horton,  J. — The  manufacture  of  aluminum.  Trans.  Eng.  Soc.  School  of 
Prac.  Sci.,  Toronto,  No.  18,  1905,  pp.  113-123. 

Hill,  James  M. — Bauxite  and  aluminum  in  1917,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Mineral 
Resources  of  the  U.  S.  Part  I,  1917. 

Hunt,  Alfred  E. — Aluminum  (and  bauxite).  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for 
1892,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1893,  pp.  227-254. 

.     Bauxite.      Trans.    Am.    Inst.    Min.    Eng.,    Vol.    24,    1895,    pp. 

855-861.     Mineral  Resources  of  the  U.  S.,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 

.     Aluminum,  Aluminum  Co.  of  America,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  1904, 

268  pages. 

Institution  of  Mechanical  Engineers. — Minutes  of  meeting,  alloys  of  alum- 
inum and  copper.  Engineering,  Mar.  8,  1907,  pp.  299-307. 

Judd,  Edward  K. — Aluminum.     Mineral  Industry  during  1905,  pp.   11-22. 

.     The    bauxite    industry   of   the   South.      Eng.   and  Min.    Jour., 

Mar.   23,   1907,   pp.   574-575. 

.      Bauxite.      Mineral   Industry,   Vol.    16,   1908,   pp.   97-102. 

McCalley,  H. — Bauxite.  The  valley  regions  of  Alabama,  pt.  2,  Alabama 
Geol.  Surv.,  1897,  pp.  79-84;  also  descriptions  of  Calhoun  and  Cherokee  counties. 

McC'allie,  S.  \V. — Bauxite  deposits  of  southern  Georgia.  Eng.  and  Min. 
Jour.,  May  27,  1911,  p.  1050. 

Mead,  VV.  J. — Occurrence  and  Origin  of  the  bauxite  deposits  of  Arkansas, 
Economic  Geology,  Vol.  10,  No.  1,  January,  1915. 

Minet,  Adolphe. —  (Translated  with  additions  by  Leonard  Waldo),  The  pro- 
ductions of  aluminum  and  its  industrial  use,  1st  edition,  John  Wiley  &  Sons, 
New  York,  1905,  266  pages. 

Packard,  R.  L,. — Aluminum  (and  bauxite).  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for 
1891,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1892,  pp.  147-163. 

— .     Aluminum.      Sixteenth    Ann.    Rept.    U.    S.    Geol.    Surv.,    pt.    3, 
1895,  pp.   539-546. 

Parker,  E.  W. — Arkansas  Bauxite  Deposits.  Mines  and  Minerals,  Vol.  XX, 
Scranton,  1900. 

Paint,  Oil  and  Drug  Review. — Aluminum  paints.  Issue  for  Aug.  15,  1906, 
p.  30. 

Phalen,  \V.  C. — Bauxite  and  aluminum.  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for  1909, 
pt.  1,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1911,  pp.  561-572. 

Phalen,  W.  C. — Bauxite  and  aluminum.  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for  1910, 
pt.  1.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1911,  pp.  711-723. 

Phillips,  Wm.  B.,  and  Hancock,  David. — The  commercial  analysis  of  baux- 
ite. Jour.  Am.  Chem.  Soc.,  Vol.  20,  1898,  pp.  209-225. 

Richards,  Joseph  W. — Aluminum,  its  history,  occurrence,  properties,  met- 
allurgy, and  applications,  including  its  alloys,  3d  ed.,  Baird  &  Co.,  Philadel- 
phia, 1896. 

.     The    metallurgy    of    aluminum    in    1906.      Mineral    Industry, 

Vol.    15,    1906,   pp.    12-17;   Eng.    and   Min.    Journal,    June   8,    1907,    pp.    1083-1086; 
Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.,  June  15,   1907,  pp.   1147-1149. 

Schnatterback,  C.  C. — Aluminum  and  bauxite.  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for 
1904,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1905,  pp.  285-294. 

Spencer,  J.  W. — Bauxite  (the  Paleozoic  group).  Georgia  Geol.  Surv.,  189S, 
pp.  214-239. 

Spurr,  J.  E. — Alum  deposits  near  Silver  Peak,  Esmeralda  County  Nev. 
Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  No.  225,  1904,  pp.  501-502. 


UKH  'OFAEK 

DEPT.  OF  BURAL  ECONOMICS  &  So 

ABKAls 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  51 


Stacy-Jones,  J.  E. — Light  aluminum  alloys.  Indust.  World,  May  11,  1907, 
pp.  593-596. 

Struthers,  Joseph. — Aluminum  and  bauxite.  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.  for 
1903,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1904,  pp.  265-279. 

Sutherland,  James. — The  preparation  of  aluminttm  from  bauxite.  Eng. 
and  Min.  Jour.,  Oct.  3,  1896,  pp.  320-322. 

Veatch,  Otto. — Report  on  the  bauxite  deposits,  Wilkinson  County,  Ga. 
Bull,  Georgia  Geol.  Surv.,  No.  18,  Appendix  D.  1909,  pp.  430-447. 

"Watson,  T.  L. — The  Georgia  bauxite  deposits,  their  chemical  constituent* 
and  genesis.  Am.  Geologist,  Vol.  28,  1901,  pp.  25-45. 

.  Bauxite  deposits  of  Georgia.  Bull.  Georgia  Geol.  Surv.,  No. 

11.  1904. 

Wetherell,  E.  W. — Laterite  in  Mysore.  Mysore  Geol.  Dept.  Memoirs,  Vol. 
3,  pt.  1,  p.  27. 


Copper 

'"There  is  no  record  of  copper  ore  production  in  Arkansas,  although 
scattering  deposits  have  been  discovered  in  several  places  and  mined  on  a 
small  scale,  principally  in  north  Arkansas,  at  one  place  in  Pulaski  County 
and  in  Polk  County." — John  T.  Fuller,  Mineralogist,  State  Bureau  of  Mines, 
Manufactures  and  Agriculture,  1913. 

Purdue  reported  the  presence  of  chalcocite  of  steel-gray  or  blackish 
type  from  Carroll  county,  and  at  the  time  of  the  compilation  of  this  bulle- 
tin it  is  reported  that  ore  is  being  mined  near  Eureka  Springs.  Chrysocolla 
is  frequently  found  in  cavities  at  the  zinc  mines.  Aurichalcite  is  also  com- 
mon at  many  of  the  zinc  mines,  but  always  in  small  quantities. 

Bright  green  earthy  and  crystalline  masses  of  malachite  (hydrous  cop- 
per carbonate)  are  found  in  the  Tomahawk  copper  mines,  Searcy  county. 
Two  assays  of  malachite  from  this  locality  gave  39.48  and  39.57  per  cent  of 
metallic  copper.  Small  quantities  of  the  same  material  were  shipped  from 
the  Big  Bear  mine  near  Ferndale,  Pulaski  County,  but  the  mining  of  these 
ores  did  not  prove  profitable. 

Theo.  B.  Comstock  has  the  following  to  say  with  regard  to  the  copper 
deposits  of  the  State  with  special  reference  to  Polk  County  (Arkansas  Geo- 
logical Survey  Annual  Report,  1888,  Vol.  I.  p.  245. 

"The  only  economic  source  of  copper  as  yet  made  manifest  is  the  min- 
eral chalcopyrite,  or  copper  pyrites,  which  is  intimately  associated  with 
galena  in  nearly  all  of  the  known  occurrences  of  that  mineral.  (In  Pulaski, 
Polk,  Howard,  Sevier,  and  Montgomery  counties.) 

"Incrustations  of  azurite,  the  blue  copper  carbonate,  are  common  in  the 
black  shales,  but  these  are  of  no  commercial  importance.  In  connection 
with  these,  in  rare  instances,  a  very  little  native  copper  in  minute  scales, 
in  black  shale,  and,  at  times,  small  crystals  of  blue  vitrol  (chalcanthite) 
have  been  observed. 

'  These  all  deserve  mention  here,  chiefly  because,  in  the  eyes  of  many, 
their  striking  contrasts  with  the  surrounding  rock  are  taken  as  evidence  of 
richness  out  of  all  proportion  with  the  facts.  The  azurite  incrustations  upon 
quartz  in  the  Silver  World  mine,  in  Polk  County,  and  in  other  places  upon 
the  shales,  will  coat  a  knife  blade  with  a  thin  film  of  copper  if  only  rubbed 
across  it. 

"The  amount  of  this  mineral  which  is  present  in  a  ton  of  the  rock 
mined  is  too  small  to  have  any  commercial  significance.  One  ton  of  the 


52  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


pure  mineral  might  be  worth,  say,  $90,  but  the  market  value  of  one  ton  of 
the  incrusted  rock  and  mineral  together,  as  saved  in  the  form  of  ore  at  the 
mine  would  be  nothing,  as  the  valuable  portion  could  not  begin  to  pay 
the  cost  of  separation.  The  copper  product  of  this  and  similar  mines  has 
cut  no  great  figure  in  the  claims  made  for  its  resources,  but  as  all  the  other 
material  saved  upon  the  dumps  are  worthless,  some  pains  have  been  taken 
to  determine  the  amount  of  this  metal  contained  in  the  copper-bearing  por- 
tions. 

"As  indicating  the  presence  of  metallic  substances  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood,  the  development  of  these  Polk  County  mines  has  been  use- 
ful. Traces  of  gold  and  silver,  nickel,  cobalt,  zinc  and  tin  have  been  found 
in  the  Silver  World  product  and  all  these,  except  tin,  in  one  or  other  of 
the  Worthington  group  of  prospects.  In  the  Silver  World  considerable  man- 
ganese also  occurs.  There  is,  therefore,  reason  to  believe  that  some  kind 
of  an  ore  belt  runs  through  the  region.  From  other  indications  and  from 
observations  through  the  district,  it  is  the  writer's  opinion  that  this  is  a 
manganese  tract  worthy  of  further  investigation.  That  there  are,  in  the 
region  examined,  any  deposits  of  copper  ore  whicfr  can  be  worked  profit- 
ably for  themselves  alone,  is,  however,  very  improbable.  Traces  of  copper 
in  quartz  and  other  rocks  may  mean  little  or  nothing,  as  pyrite  often  con- 
tains very  small  percentages  of  this  metal,  and  that  mineral  is  widespread." 


REFERENCES. 

Brainier,  John  C. — Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  V,  18'JL'.  i>p. 
252-253. 

Gold 

"For  many  years  there  has  been  a  vague  but  persistent  faith  in  the 
existence  of  gold  in  paying  quantities  in  Arkansas.  From  time  to  time  re- 
peated discoveries  of  this  metal  have  caused  much  excitement  in  different 
localities.  One  by  one  the  successive  "finds"  have  proven  barren  when 
thoroughly  tested.  The  little  known  portions  of  the  mountainous  country 
have  always  been  regarded  curiously  and  the  reported  discovery  in  those 
regions  have  received  more  ready  credence,  perhaps,  because  of  the  sup- 
posed existence  of  granite  rocks.  Nowhere  in  this  state,  at  any  period  of 
mining  activity,  has  so  much  energy  been  shown,  or  so  much  real  faith  in 
the  value  of  discoveries,  as  in  Montgomery  County.  *  *  *  Large  expen- 
ditures of  money  in  the  erection  of  mills,  and  in  the  opening  of  shafts  by 
men  claiming  to  be  competent  judges,  have  been  regarded  by  many  as  ade- 
quate evidence  of  the  permanency  of  this  district  as  a  gold  mining  area. 
There  can  be  no  question  of  the  honesty  of  these  opinions,  supported  as 
they  have  been,  in  not  a  few  instances,  by  the  investment  of  all  their  avail- 
able capital  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  held  them." — Report  Ark.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Vol.  1,  1888. 

"The  conclusions  of  Dr.  Branner's  reports  are  as  follows: 

"First — The  various  agencies  which  have  been  at  work  in  Arkansas 
have  not  had  access  to  any  important  supply  of  gold. 

"Second — The  processes  of  deposition  have  often  acted  too  rapidly  to 
accumulate  the  gold  in  workable  deposits. 


OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  53 

"Third — The  auriferous  deposition,  if  any  has  taken  place,  has  been 
spread  over  such  vast  areas  as  to  dilute  the  whole  to  a  condition  of  extreme 
poverty. 

"Fourth — There  have  been  no  special  accumulations,  even  in  cases  where 
such  must  have  been  formed,  if  gold  had  been  present  in  the  solutions  from 
which  other  metallic  ores  have  been  locally  deposited. 

"Fifth — At  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  deposits  in  which  gold  is 
being  sought,  the  structural  conditions  were  unfavorable  to  its  accumula- 
tion. 

"Sixth — The  proper  mechanical,  physical  and  chemical  conditions  have 
often  been  present,  yet  gold  is  absent  from  those  situations  in  which  all  of 
these  conditions  have  been  most  favorable  to  its  retention. 

"Seventh — There  is  one  more  reason  for  the  unfavorable  opinion  ex- 
pressed regarding  the  future  of  the  gold  mining  industry  in  Arkansas.  It  is 
the  invariable  absence  of  gold  in  the  "float"  and  the  sands  and  gravels,  as 
well  as  in  the  large  number  of  secondary  deposits,  w<h.ich  have  resulted  from 
the  decomposition  and  degradation  of  the  original  accumulations.  In  some 
of  these,  at  least,  the  chances  should  be  best  of  all,  but  in  none  of  them  has 
gold  been  found  in  workable  quantities." 


REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Arkansas 
for  1888,  Vol.  I,  Report  upon  the  geology  of  western  central  Arkansas,  with 
especial  reference  to  gold  and  silver,  by  Theo.  B.  Comstock,  Little  Rock,  1888. 

The  so-called  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Arkansas.  An  official  report  to 
Gov.  S.  P.  Hughes.  Arkansas  Gazette,  August  9,  1888. 

Arkansas  Gold,  and  silver  mines.  An  official  report  to  Gov.  S.  P.  Hughes 
in  reply  to  certain  charges.  Arkansas  Gazette,  October  18,  1888.  Arkansas 
Democrat,  Ortober  18,  1888.  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal,  New  York 
October  20,  1888. 


Iron 

"The  result  of  the  survey's  investigation  of  the  iron  deposits  of  the 
state  have  not  met  the  expectations  and  hopes  of  their  commercial  value, 
with  which  the  work  was  begun.  The  number  of  places  at  which  iron  de- 
posits occur  throughout  the  state  is  almost  endless,  but  the  examination  of 
these  deposits  and  the  chemical  analyses  of  the  ores  show  that  most  of 
them  are  either  too  limited  in  extent,  or  that  they  are  too  low  in  grade  to 
admit  of  their  being  worked.  The  deposits  of  Lawrence  and  Sharp  counties 
are  the  only  ones  that  merit  attention,  and  whether  these  deposits  can  be 
worked  now  must  depend  on  economic  conditions — transportation,  markets 
and  competition." — Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  I,  1892. 

"Limonite,   small   quantities   in  nearly  every   county;    has   been  mined 
near  Berryville  in  Carroll  County,  and  in  Lawrence  and  Sharp  counties."- 
Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 

"Magnetite,  magnetic  -iron  ore,  Hot  Spring  County,  in  loose  fragments 
at  Magnet  Cove;  not  mined." — Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 

"Hematite,  Pulaski,  Saline,  Garland,  Montgomery,  Pike,  Scott,  and 
Franklin  counties,  occurs  in  beds  of  hematite  shale." — J.  C.  Branner. 


54  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


"Siderite,  about  Chalybeate  Springs,  at  Kellogg  mine,  Pulaski  County; 
at  Magnet  Cove  and  in  the  higher  sandstones  of  coal  measures  in  Scott  and 
Franklin  counties." — J.  C.  Branner. 

Turgite  and  goethite  are  also  mentioned  in  the  list  of  iron  minerals, 
their  presence  being  noted  in  the  manganese  and  iron  belts. 


K  INFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1892, 
Vol.  I.  The  iron  deposits  of  Arkansas,  by  R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  Jr.,  Little  Rock 
1892. 

Penroae.  R.  A.  F.  Jr. — The  Tertiary  iron  ores  of  Arkansas  and  Texas 
Bulletin  Geol.  Soc.,  1891,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  44-5(1. 

Swank,  James  M. — History  of  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  all  ages,  and 
particularly  in  the  United  States,  for  three  hundred  years,  from  1585  to  1885 
p.  258,  Philadelphia,  1884. 

On  the  Meteoric  iron  which  fell  in  Johnson  County,  Arkansas,  March  27 
1886,  by  G.  F.  Kunz.  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol  CXXXI1I  third  series 
New  Haven,  1887. 


Iron  Pyrites. 

The  constantly  increasing  use  of  pyrites  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric 
acid  may  make  available  in  the  future  the  deposits  which  occur  on  the  south 
slope  of  West  Mountain,  two  miles  west  of  Hot  Springs,  Garland  County;  in 
southern  Polk  county  and  at  Golden  City,  in  Logan  County. 

Pyrite  ("fool's  gold,"  "mundic,"  iron  disulphide;  sulphur,  53.4;  iron, 
46.6  per  cent;  brass  yellow,  often  in  cubes,  sometimes  massive),  found  in 
small  quantities  at  a  few  of  the  zinc  mines  in  north  Arkansas;  notably  hard. 

On  Kelling's  place.  Tomahawk  Creek,  Searcy  County,  there  is  a  bed  of 
iron  pyrites  at  the  contact  between  the  Silurian  and  Carboniferous  rocks 
from  3  to  10  inches  thick.  It  is  a  valuable  ore  when  found  in  quantity,  but 
it  is  regarded  as  a  detriment  to  zinc  when  mixed  with  its  ores. 

Marcasite  ("mundic,"  iron  disulphide:  sulphur,  53.4;  iron,  46.6),  is  very 
like  pyrites;  bronze  yellow  color;  decomposing  more  readily  than  pyrites; 
it  is  occasionally  found  in  the  zinc  mines  in  the  form  of  small  stalactites. 
Also  reported  at  Rabbit  Foot  mine,  Saline  County,  carrying  some  nickle. 

Cne  of  the  most  important  commercial  deposits  of  iron  pyrites  is  in  the 
south  slope  of  West  Mountain,  two  miles  west  of  Hot  Springs  in  Garland 
County.  Samples  from  this  deposit  are  said  to  have  analyzed  50  per  cent 
sulphur.  The  property  is  owned  by  Tennessee  capitalists  and  has  been  pros- 
pected for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid  but  at  this  time  is  not 
being  mined. 


Lead 

"Galena  (lead  sulphide) — the  principal  lead  ore  mineral — has  been 
mined  in  limited  quantities  in  Baxter,  Benton,  Carroll,  Boone,  Marion,  New- 
ton, Washington,  and  other  counties  of  northern  Arkansas.  In  western  Ar- 
kansas it  has  been  found  sparingly  and  mined  occasionally  in  Garland 
County,  near  Blakely  Creek;  Hot  Spring  County,  at  Point  Cedar;  Mont- 
gomery county,  at  Rubicon,  near  Virginia  City,  and  at  Minnesota,  Montezu- 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  55 

ma,  Walnut  and  Waterloo  mines;  Pulaski  County,  Kellogg  and  McRae 
mines;  Sevier  County,  at  Bellah  mine,  in  Gulch  shaft,  New  Discovery  shaft, 
near  Conboy  and  elsewhere.  Cerusite  (lead  carbonate)  occurs  in  Howard, 
Montgomery,  Newton  and  other  counties,  witti  galena  and  coating  it  in 
mines  in  northern  Arkansas." — Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Useful  Minerals 
of  the  United  States. 

Approximately  1,000,000  pounds  of  galena  were  shipped  .from  the  north 
Arkansas  field  in  the  record  year  of  1917,  as  compared  with  a  production  of 
48,000,000  pounds  of  zinc  from  the  same  mines. 

Mine   Production   of   Lead    in   Arkansas,   1907-1918*. 
(Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.) 

QUANTITY,  (SHORT  TONS)  VALUE 

Year                                              Ores             Metal  Ores                    Metal 

1918 155                 120  $13,594                  $173,082 

1917 474                 282  47,593                 1,364,964 

1916 339                 272  28,097                1,826,420 

1915 79                   63  4,961                    795,832 

1914 52                   41  2,408                      62,016 

1913 23                   18  1,179                     53,536 

1912 39                  31  2,180                    103,224 

1911 80                  64  4,321                      75,696 

1910 80                   63  3,714                   107,352 

1909 30                  24  1,800                      52,080 

1908 18                   15  985                      56,870 

1907 15                   12  800                      55,932 

*No  allowance  made  for  smelting  loss.  Value  given  for  ore  is  that  ac- 
tually received  by  the  producer,  whereas  the  value  of  the  metal  is  calculated 
from  the  average  sales  price  of  all  grades. 

Tenor  of  Arkansas  Lead  and  Zinc  Ore  and  Concentrates. 
(Report   U.   S.   Geol.   Surv.) 

1917  1918 

Total  crude  ore,  short  tons 203,600  37,000 

Total  concentrates  in  crude  ore,  per  cent: 

Lead    0.23  0.42 

Zinc    8.82  6.62 

Metal  contents  of  crude  ore,  per  cent: 

Lead   .19  .32 

Zinc    3.70  2.86 

Average  lead  content  of  galena  concentrates 80.5  77.4 

Average  zinc  content  of  sphalerite  concentrates* 58.4  59.0 

Average  zinc  content  of  zinc  silicate  and  carbonate*  40.5  40.6 
Average  value  per  ton: 

Galena  concentrates  .- $100.41  $87.70 

Sphalerite  concentrates  63.13  53.07 

Zinc  silicate  and  carbonate  _.  38.15  37.70 


'Includes  some  mixed  carbonate  and  sphalerite. 


Manganese   Mining   in    Independence   County. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  57 


The  ores  are  galena,  sphalerite  and  smithsonite  and  the  concentrates 
produced  are  generally  of  high  grade  and  free  from  or  very  low  in  iron  or 
lime.  The  sphalerite  has  frequently  assayed  2  to  3  per  cent  above  the  price 
basis  of  60  per  cent,  metallic  zinc  content.  The  sphalerite  and  smithsonite 
are  shown  by  analysis  to  contain  appreciable  quantities  of  cadmium,  espec- 
ially in  a  yellow  variety  of  smithsonite,  known  locally  as  turkey  fat,  which 
shows  as  high  as  0.8  per  cent  of  cadmium. 

REFERENCES. 

AVinslow,  Arthur. — Lead  and  zinc  deposits,  Mo.  Geol.  Surv.,  VI  and  VII, 
Jefferson  City,  1894.  (Contains  bibliography.) 

John  C.  Hranner. — Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  V, 
1892.  Zinc  and  Lead. 


Manganese 

Manganese  ores  occur  in  two  different  parts  of  Arkansas,  one  in  the 
Batesville  region,  mostly  in  Independence  and  Izard  counties,  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  state;  the  other  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state, 
in  the  region  extending  from  Pulaski  County  on  the  east  to  Polk  County  and 
the  Oklahoma  border  on  the  west.  In  the  former  region  considerable 
mining  has  been  done;  in  the  latter  the  amount  of  work  has  been  limited. 
The  two  regions  approach,  in  their  nearest  parts,  within  about  90  miles  of 
each  other,  the  southern  extension  of  the  Batesville  region  being  about  that 
distance  northeast  of  the  manganese  area  of  Pulaski  County,  while  it  is  over 
150  miles  northeast  of  the  manganese  area  of  Polk  County. 

During  the  world  war  when  the  supply  of  imported  Brazilian  manganese 
was  curtailed  by  a  lack  of  shipping  facilities  and  when  increasing  quan- 
tities were  needed  by  the  government,  H.  D.  Miser  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey  was  assigned  to  make  a  special  report  on  the  manganese  deposits 
of  the  Batesville  region  in  Arkansas.  From  Mr.  Miser's  report  the  following 
is  quoted: 

"The  developed  manganese  deposits  lie  in  a  belt  20  miles  long  by  4  to 
8  miles  wide,  which  extends  westward  through  Independence,  Sharp, 
and  Izard  counties,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  State,  but  are  mainly  in 
Independence  county.  Manganese  is  not  likely  to  be  found  in  every  part  of 
this  belt,  but  the  deposits,  which  differ  greatly  in  size,  are  extensive.  One 
hundred  and  eightu  mines  and  prospects,  most  of  which  have  produced  ore, 
were  visited. 

"T'iie  ores  are  manganese  oxides,  chiefly  psilomelane,  hausmannite,  and 
braunite.  Wad  and  manganite  also  occur  in  minable  quantity  and  the  ores  in 
places  include  pyrolusite.  Although  these  minerals  may  be  found  separately, 
two  or  more  are  generally  mixed  in  the  same  deposit  and  at  a  few  places  they 
are  associated  with  ferruginous  manganese  ores  and  with  small  quantities  of 
brown  and  red  iron  oxides.  At  some  places  the  ferruginous  manganese  ores 
predominate. 

"The  manganese  has  bejen  derived  from  the  Cason  shale,  in  which  it  has 
been  concentrated  in  the  form  of  oxides  into  deposits  of  minable  size  by  or- 
dinary groundwater  perhaps  recently.  Much  of  the  ore  has  been  concentrated 
in  shale  itself,  but  most  of  it  is  now  in  the  residual  clays  of  the  limestones 
below  the  shale.  The  ore  now  in  these  clays  was  originally  carried  down- 
ward in  solution  by  groundwater  from  the  shale  and  deposited  in  the  Fern- 


58  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


vale  limestone.  As  this  limestone  has  been  carried  away  in  solution  bould- 
ers and  fine  particles  of  ore  have  been  freed,  and  as  erosion  in  the  region 
has  proceeded  the  ore  has  settled  by  gravity  or  has  been  carried  by  streams 
down  the  hillslopes  until  much  of  it  now  rests  upon  limestones  that  are 
lower  than  the  Fernvale. 

"The  high-grade  manganese  ores  generally  contain  45  to  52  per  cent  of 
manganese  though  some  of  the  ore  shipped  contains  as  much  as  60  per 
cent  of  manganese.  Most  of  the  ores  contain  from  3  to  8  per  cent  of  iron, 
0.15  to  0.30  per  cent  of  phosphorus,  and  2  to  8  per  cent  of  silicia.  Some  of 
the  ore  shipped  contains  more  than  0.30  per  cent  of  phosphorus  and  a  very 
little  contains  0.40  to  0.50  per  cent  of  phosphorus.  Most  of  the  ferruginous 
manganese  ores  contain  20  to  40  per  cent  of  manganese,  8  to  20  per  cent  of 
iron,  and  5  to  26  per  cent  of  silica.  The  phosphorus  content  is  about  the 
same  as  that  of  the  higher  grade  ores. 

"An  estimate  of  the  quantity  of  available  manganese  ore  of  all  grades 
in  this  region,  where  mining  is  not  preceded  by  systematic  prospecting,  is 
difficult  to  make.  Of  the  180  deposits  examined  about  half  contain  an  esti- 
mated available  reserve  of  200  tons  or  less.  Only  about  one-third  contains 
about  1,000  or  more  tons  and  only  a  few  contain  more  than  5,000  tons,  though 
certain  of  these,  contain  many  thousand  tons.  A  small  number  of  prospects 
and  mines,  however,  were  not  visited,  and  these  and  the  unexplored  depos- 
its may  increase  considerably  the  reserve.  The  deposits  of  the  region  per- 
haps include  at  least  250,000  tons  of  available  ore  containing  40  per  cent  or 
more  manganese  and  170,000  tons  available  ore  containing  less  than  40  per 
rent  manganese. 

"The  ores  from  the  Batesville  region  are  used  for  making  ferromangan- 
ese,  spiegeleisen,  and  high-manganese  pig  iron.  Very  little,  if  any,  has  been 
found  suitable  for  chemical  uses. 

"The  consumers  of  ore  from  this  region  are  as  follows: 

"Tennessee  Coal,  Iron,  &  Railroad  Co.,  Birmingham,  Ala. 

"Miami  Metals  Co.,  Tower  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 

'American  Steel  Foundries,  McCormick  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 

"Southern  Manganese  Corporation,  Anniston,  Ala. 

"Mississippi  Valley  Iron  Co.,  6500  Broadway,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

"Sloss-Sheffield  Steel  &  Iron  Co.,  Birmingham,  Ala. 

"Central  Iron  &  Coal  Co.,  Holt,  Ala. 

"Sligo  Furnace  Co.,  915  Olive  St.,  St.  Louis.  Mo. 

"The  larger  producers  in  the  region  are  as  follows: 

'  \V.  H.  Denison,  Cushman. 

"R.  S.  Handford,  Cushman. 

"Eureka  Manganese  &  Mining  Co.,  Cushman. 

"Marqua  Mining  Co.,  Cushman. 

"Cushman  Manganese  Co.,  Cushman. 

"Manganese  Development  Co.,  Cushman. 

"N.  A.  Adler,  Batesville. 

"Independence  Mining  Co.,  Batesville. 

"Ozark  Mining  Co.,  Batesville. 

"Vance  Mining  Co.,  Batesville. 

"J.  F.  Barksdale.  Anderson. 

"Shepherd  &  Wilson.   Batesville. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  59 


"Besides  these  there  are  many  small  operators  who  work  on  their  own 
or  leased  land,  or  on  contracts  with  the  larger  operators,  and  who  sell  their 
ore  to  the  larger  operators." 

The  Southwestern   Arkansas  Field. 

Frequent  attempts  have  been  made  to  work  the  manganese  deposits 
of  southwestern  Arkansas,  in  Pulaski,  Saline,  Garland,  Hot  Spring,  Mont- 
gomery, Pike  and  Polk  counties,,  the  last  efforts  at  development  being  made 
during  the  world  war,  but  mining  has  not  proved  permanently  profitable. 
Branner's  map  of  the  Arkansas  manganese  deposits  shows  this  field  as  "un- 
workable." From  Vol.  I,  Annual  Report,  Arkansas  Geological  Survey  1890, 
the  following  is  quoted. 

"The  aggregate  amount  of  manganese  in  the  region  is  undoubtedly 
large,  but  it  is  distributsd  over  an  extensive  area,  and  in  almost  all  places 
it  is  hopelessly  scattered  through  ti'e  rock  in  small  nests  and  seams.  If 
these  nests  and  seams  were  in  sufficient  quantities  the  rock  might  be  crushed 
and  the  ore  concentrated  by  washing  but  the  pockets  containing  them  are 
too  small  to  permit  the  expense  of  machinery.  It  is  a  popular  idea  that 
the  ore  will  increase  in  quantity  at  a  depth,  but  there  is  absolutely  no  reason 
to  expect  this,  as  such  deposits  are  j\i«t  as  likely,  and  sometimes  even  more 
likely,  to  become  poorer  at  a  depth  than  to  improve.  *  *  *  * 

"The  value  of  the  small  quantities  of  ore  that  might  be  mined  in  Mont- 
gomery and  Polk  counties,  would  be  in  the  considerable  percentage  of 
peroxide  of  manganese,  or  pyrolusite,  tnat  many  of  them  contain.  *  *  *  * 
The  ores  of  Montgomery  and  Polk  counties  are  generally,  though  not  always, 
too  high  in  phosphorous,  so  far  as  the  analyses  at  hand  show,  to  be  desirable 
as  a  source  of  spiegeleisen  and  ferro-manganese." 

REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1890, 
Vol.  I,  Manganese:  Its  uses,  ores  and  deposits,  by  R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  Jr.  In- 
cludes notes  on  the  paleontology  of  the  Batesville  region,  by  Henry  S.  Will- 
iams. 

Harder,  E.  C. — Manganese  deposits  of  the  U.  S.,  Bui.  427,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv., 
1910.  (Contains  bibliography.) 

Penrose.  R.  A.  F. — The  origin  of  the  manganese  ores  of  northern  Ar- 
kansas and  its  effect  on  the  associated  strata.  Proceedings  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Vol.  XXXIX,  Salem,  1891. 

Williams,  Henry  S. — On  the  age  of  the  manganese  beds  of  the  Batesville 
region  of  Arkansas.  American  Journal  of  Science.  Vol.  CXLVIII,  New  Haven. 
1895. 

Hewett,  D.  F. — Manganese  and  manganiferous  ores  in  1916.  U.  S.  Geol 
Surv.,  Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,  1916,  Part  I. 

Miser,  H.  D. — Manganese  deposits  of  the  Caddo  Gap  and  De  Queen  Quad- 
rangles, Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  660,  1917. 

Joslin,  G.  A. — Manganese  in  west  central  Arkansas,  Min.  &  Sci.  Press,  Vol. 
113,  1916. 

Batesville  Board  of  Trade.  Pamphlet  descriptive  of  the  Batesville-Cush- 
man  Manganese  Field,  1919. 


60  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Silver 

"There  are  deposits  of  argentiferous  ores  in  the  state,  some  of  which 
are  deserving  of  thorough  examinations,  although  none  of  these  have  been, 
as  yet,  extensively  developed.  Cn  the  other  hand,  a  considerable  amount  of 
mining  work  in  a  small  way  has  been  done  in  situations  where  there  is  no 
possible  chance  of  success,  while  assays  of  questionable  value  have  induced 
many  to  excavate  in  rocks  which  are  even  more  certain  to  yield  no  silver 
than  to  prove  barren  in  gold.  *  *  * 

"What  is  most  needed  in  the  silver  areas  is  exploration  to  greater  depths; 
in  other  words,  development.  Let  us  hope  that  this  rather  than  the  opening 
of  numerous  new  'prospects'  may  characterize  the  near  future.  The  success- 
ful outcome  of  work  in  the  deeper  portions  of  two  or  three  properties,  that 
will  probably  reward  diligent  prospectors,  if  the  ore-bodies  be  clearly  fol- 
lowed, will  give  a  greater  impetus  to  mining  industry  than  the  uncovering 
and  exhausting  of  a  large  number  of  surface  'bonanzas.' 

"The  mining  for  silver  in  Pulaski  County  has  been  fitful,  and  thus  far, 
not  profitable,  but,  as  might  be  expected  in  the  neighborhood  of  Little  Rock, 
the  explorations  have  been  somewhat  thorough.  There  are  in  the  county 
three  districts,  the  immediate  environs  of  Little  Rock,  the  Kellogg  mining 
area  and  the  region  about  the  McRae  mine. 

"There  are  two  districts  in  Saline  County  where  prospecting  has  been 
done  but  in  neither  of  the  areas  have  silver  ores  been  actually  mined,  and 
there  is  much  uncertainty  concerning  their  occurrence.  Unsuccessful  pros- 
pecting also  has  been  done  in  Garland  and  Hot  Spring  counties.  Exten- 
sive operations  have  been  carried  on  in  Montgomery  County,  especially  about 
Silver  City,  but  without  profit  to  the  miners. 

"The  district  in  Pike  County  which  is  included  in  this  review  is  not 
promising  as  a  prospective  field  for  silver,  chiefly  because  the  tough  grits 
and  the  thick  post-Tertiary  deposits  cover  the  shales  so  deeply  that  the 
mineral  bodies,  if  they  exist,  do  not  appear  frequently  at  the  surface.  In 
Howard  County  the  environment  is  even  less  favorable,  but  here  erosion 
has  been  more  serviceable  to  the  prospector  in  certain  localities. 

"Sevier  County. — The  product  of  the  antimony  mines,  where  they  carry 
galena,  may  eventually  yield  the  precious  metal,  but  t'here  is  not  a  high 
percentage  of  it  in  the  ore  that  has  been  mined.  *  *  *  The  Silver  Hill 
district,  if  carefully  explored,  may  yield  good  returns  but  deep  workings 
directly  upon  the  ore  body  will  be  requisite  for  development.  There  is 
a  very  enticing  field  for  prospectors  northeast  of  the  Bellah  and  Davis 
mines,  as  far  as  Silver  City,  along  a  narrow  belt,  and  in  a  southeastward 
continuation  of  the  same  belt  indefinitely  into  Oklahoma." — Report  Ark. 
Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  I,  1888. 

REFERENCES. 

Branner.  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1888, 
Vol.  I,  report  upon  the  geology  of  western  Arkansas  with  special  reference 
to  Gold  and  Silver,  by  Theo.  B.  Comstock. 

Conrad,  ('.  P. — Silver  in  Arkansas.  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal,  Vol. 
XXX.  Xe\v  York,  !  • 

Mather.  AV.  AY. — Argentiferous  galena  from  Arkansas.  American  Journal 
of  Science,  Vol.  LXV,  second  series,  1853. 


OUTLINES   OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


61 


Silver   Hollow   Bluff   on    Buffalo    River,   Marion   County. 


Zinc 

"The  zinc  ores  of  North  Arkansas  are  found  for  the  most  part  in  rocks 
of  Ordovician  age.  This  area  is  shown  upon  the  geological  map — not  that  it 
is  meant  that  it  is  all  ore  bearing,  but  that  it  is  all  worthy  of  attention  in 
this  connection.  The  ores  in  the  order  of  their  importance,  are  sphalerite 
(zinc  sulp'hide),  popularly  called  "jack,"  "rosin  jack,"  etc.;  smithsonite  (zinc 
carbonate),  and  calamine  (zinc  silicate).  In  addition  to  these,  there  are  sev- 
eral minerals  of  zinc  that  are  more  or  less  abundant,  but  they  do  not  occur 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  entitle  them  to  be  looked  upon  as  ores.  The  fol- 
lowing conclusions  seem  to  be  warranted: 

"The  zinc  was  originally  deposited  in  sedimentary  beds,  mostly  of  or- 
ganic origin,  in  which  much  of  it  is  still  found. 

"The  growth  of  the  crystals  in  the  original  bedded  deposits  took  place 
prior  to  the  hardening  of  the  enclosing  silts. 

"The  position  of  the  ores  in  the  beds  has  been  changed  more  or  less 
since  they  were  originally  deposited. 

"The  changes  have  been  going  on  ever  since  the  original  deposition  and 
are  still  in  progress. 

"By  means  of  such  changes  vertical  and  other  fissures  have  been  filled 
with  ores  brought  into  them  by  circulating  waters  from  above,  from  below 
and  from  the  sides. 

"The  position  of  the  ores  in  the  secondary  deposits  has  been  deter- 
mined largely  by  those  structural  features  that  have  guided  the  underground 
waters  in  their  passage  through  the  rocks. 


62  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


"In  some  cases  the  accumulations  have  taken  place  along  synclinal 
troughs,  in  other  cases,  in  fissures  along  fault  lines,  and  in  still  others  in  the 
breccias  formed  along  ancient  underground  water  courses. 

"The  subterranean  waterways  have  in  many  instances  been  closed  by 
the  deposition  of  mineral  matter  and  the  water  has  been  forced  into  other 
channels. 

"The  carbonates  and  silicates  are  produced  by  the  alteration  of  sul- 
phide ores  mostly  in  place. 

"Much  of  the  prospecting  in  the  zinc  regions  has  been  done  as  intel- 
ligently as  it  is  possible  to  have  it  done.  The  people  doing  the  work  have 
studied  the  rocks  and  the  ores  and  have  followed  nature — the  best  possible 
guide  in  such  matters.  In  other  instances  the  prospectors  have  come  into 
this  region  with  long  and  valuable  experience  found  elsewhere  that  would 
have  been  of  the  greatest  value  where  the  experience  was  obtained,  but  here 
it  was  simply  misleading.  The  results  have  been  unfortunate  for  every 
one  concerned. 

"Many  drill  holes  have  been  put  down  in  the  zinc  region,  but  many  of  ttie 
records  are  of  no  importance  because  the  holes  have  been  bored  regardless 
of  the  fact  that  the  rocks  penetrated  are  all  exposed  in  the  sides  of  the 
hills  near  at  hand. 

"It  is  necessary  to  say  a  word  here  in  regard  to  what  is  called  'going 
down' — a  much  mooted  question  in  this  region.  The  theory  that  zinc  ore  is 
to  be  looked  for  at  considerable  depths  may  be  a  perfectly  correct  one  in 
some  regions.  Whether  it  is  correct  in  this  north  Arkansas  region  depends 
on  the  precise  location  and  the  details  of  its  geology. 

"Inquiries  are  often  made  in  regard  to  certain  so-called  rules  laid  down 
a  few  years  ago  for  the  guidance  of  the  miners  of  this  region.  One  of 
these  rules  is  'to  follow  the  more  prominent  vertical  fissures  in  the  search 
for  ore.'  Another  statement,  though  not  given  in  the  form  of  a  rule,  is  of 
far-reaching  importance,  if  it  is  true.  It  is  that  'all  workable  deposits  of 
ore  occur  in  direct  association  with  faulting  fissures  traversing  the  strata, 
and  with  zones  or  beds  of  crushed  and  brecciated  rock,  produced  by  move- 
ments of  disturbance  the  undisturbed  rocks  are  everywhere  barren  of  ore. 

"No  fault  is  to  be  found  with  the  statement  that  important  ore  bodies 
do  occur  in  fissures,  but  to  say  that  the  ores  occur  only  in  fissures,  and  that 
'the  undisturbed  rocks  are  everywhere  barren  of  ore,'  is  to  overlook  man> 
of  the  most  important  deposits  of  north  Arkansas,  that  is  the  bedded  ones. 
Over  a  large  part  of  the  zinc  region  these  ore  beds  can  be  traced  as  cer- 
tainly as  a  coal  bed  in  western  Pennsylvania. 

"In  regard  to  these  so-called  rules,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  ttie  miners 
will  do  well  to  get  their  directions  from  the  geology  of  the  region  in  which 
they  are  working  and  not  from  the  geology  of  some  other  state  or  some  other 
country." — Report  Arkansas,  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  V.  1892. 

Below  is  a  detailed  report  of  production  collected  from  the  various 
lead  and  zinc  mines  of  north  Arkansas  for  the  year  1917,  by  J.  H.  Hand,  of 
Yellville,  Arkansas: 

MARION   COUNTY. 
Name  of  Shipper.  No.  Pounds. 

J.    C.    Shepherd    M.    Co 8,372,000 

Morning  Star  M.  Co 3,415,000 

Yellow   Rose    M.    Co__  __1,820,000 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  63 

Edith    M.    Co 1,486,000 

Kennedy    M.    Co r—                                      -  330,000 

Bonanza  M.  Co -  270,000 

Silver  Hollow   M.    Co 180,000 

Fox  Den  M.  Co ---  300,000 

Omeara    M.    Co 240,000 

Crooked   Creek   M.   Co 123,000 

Onwata  M.  Co -—                       180,000 

Seawel  Brothers 180,000 

Arkansas  &  S.  C.  M.  Co 70,000 

J.  B.  Rowden 70,000 

W.   N.   North   60,000 

Boone    County    M.    Co 60,000 

Monkey  Hill  M.  Co 60,000 

Beaty    M.    Co 60,000 

Bank  of  Yellville   60,000 

Pyatt  M.  Co 120,000 

W.  O.  Headley - ...  60,000 

Paradis  &  Worth 50,000 

Bear  Hill  M.  Co 60,000 

North   Star  M.   Co 120,000 

Miscellaneous    Shipments 480,000 

Total 18,175,000 

SEARCY  COUNTY. 

J.   C.   Shepherd   M.   Co 8,800,000 

Lucky   Dog  M.   Co 1,104,000 

N.  W.  Redwine  M.  Co 560,000 

Howard    M.    Co . 1,210,000 

Jack  Pot  M.  Co 130,000 

Wallace   M.    Co 120.000 

Madden  M.  Co 60.000 

Churchill-Evening  Star 80,000 

Lost  Mountain  M.  Co '____      50,000 

Total 12,434,000 

BOONE    COUNTY. 

Gloria   M.   Co 1,376,000 

L.  L.  Brown 1,347,000 

Markle   &   McCurry 772,000 

J.  P.  Harvey 438,000 

D.  G.   &  B.   M.   Co 670,000 

Cantrell    &    French    214,000 

Clear   Creek  M.   Co 350,000 

E.  Q.  Boone 839,000 

Harrison  M.  Co 290,000 

Saylors  &  Lewis . 167,000 

Zara  M.  Co 128,000 

Doolin    &    Lawhorn    150,000 

Marlin  &  Csenbaum 140,000 

Jackson    M.    Co 140,000 

Estes  Zinc  Co__  130,000 


64 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Era  M.  Co 197,000 

Madison  M.  Co 48,000 

W.  J.  Horsley 58,000 

Madison  M.  Co 70,000 

Barham  Brothers  110,000 

C.  E.  Morris 33,000 

L.  T.  Westrich  60,000 

Arkansas  M.  Co 60,000 

J.  E.  Potts  60,000 

Alberta  M.   Co 1 50,000 

Polk  Kendall  70,000 

G.  W.  Capps 70,000 

Total 7,726,000 

NEWTON    COUNTY. 

North  Slope  M.  Co 1,745,000 

Bald  Hill  M.  Co 410,000 

Hamilton   &  White   228,000 

Eleventh  Hour  M.  Co _' 460,000 

Van  Sicklen  214,000 

Victor  Primrose  890,000 

Cook  &  McCoy  490,000 

E.  R.    Springer   160,000 

W.  N.  North 100,000 

L.    E.  Lake 60,000 

H.  G.  Moss  280,000 

W.  E.  Luke 120,000 

Hamilton  &  Young  60,000 

Miscellaneous 1,510,000 

Total 5,417,000 

Total  Shipments  from  Field 44,615,000 

Ore  in  Docks  December  31 3,800,000 

Total  1917  Production 48,415,000 

Two  zinc  smelters  have  been  established,  one  at  Fort  Smith  and  one  at 
Van  Buren,  near  the  natural  gas  fields,  and  Arkansas  ore  is  now  smelted 
with  Arkansas  gas. 


Year 


191S 
1917 
1916 
1915 
1914 
1913 
1912 
1911 
1910 
1909 
1908 
1907 


Mine  Production  of  Zinc  in  Arkansas,  1907-1918*. 
(Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.) 


STT  TO  VTE-CARBONATE     METAL  CONTENT 


Short  tons       Value 


310 


1,670 


743 

594 

1,419 

1.407 

1.857 

896 

516 

538 


$16.450 

i  i2.':2K 

41.341 

ie',916 

40,425 
74.136 
33.1148 

15,233 


Short  tons 


2,156 
17,053 

16  609 

7.  H  IT, 

1,143 

680 

162 

183 

128 

98 

939 


Value 

$68,333 
940,224 

IT..  187 

15,050 

11.231 

4,239 

2.641 

21,469 

1  6.210 


Tons 

951 

6,691 

6,815 

3.209 

608 

478 

74X 

664 

994 

510 

605 

474 


Value 

$173,082 

1,364.964 

1,826,420 

795,832 

62,016 

53,536 

7  H',  69  6 
107,352 
52,080 
56,870 
55,932 


OrTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  65 

*Allowance  made  for  smelting  loss.  Value  given  for  ore  is  that  actually 
received  by  the  producer.  Value  of  the  metal  is  caluculated  from  the  aver- 
age sales  price  reported  by  the  smelters. 

Tenor  of  Arkansas   Lead  and  Zinc  Ore  and   Concentrates. 

(Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.) 

1917  1918 

Total  Crude  Ore,  Short  Tons 203,600  37,000 

Total  Concentrates  in  Crude  Ore,  per  cent: 

Lead    0.23  0.42 

Zinc 8.82  6.62 

Metal  Content  of  Crude  Ore,  per  cent: 

Lead .19  .32 

Zinc 3.70  2.86 

Average  Lead  Content  of  Galena  Concentrates 80.5  77.4 

Average  Zinc  Content  of  Sphalerite  Concentrates,* 58.4  59.0 

Average  Zinc  Content  of  Zinc  Silicate  and  Carbonate,* 40.5  40.6 

Average  Value  per  ton: 

Galena  Concentrates $100.41  $87.70 

Sphalerite   Concentrates    63.13  53.07 

Zinc  Silicate  and  Carbonate 38.15  37.70 

*Includes  some  mixed  carbonate  and  sphalerite. 

The  ores  are  galena,  sphalerite  and  smithsonite  and  the  concentrates 
produced  are  generally  of  high  grade  and  free  from  or  very  low  in  iron  or 
lime.  The  sphalerite  has  frequently  assayed  2  to  3  per  cent  above  the  price 
basis  of  60  per  cent,  metallic  zinc  content.  The  sphalerite  and  smithsonite 
are  shown  by  analysis  to  contain  appreciable  quantities  of  cadmium,  espec- 
ially in  a  yellow  variety  of  smithsonite,  known  locally  as  turkey  fat,  which 
shows  as  high  as  0.8  per  cent  of  cadmium. 


REFERENCES. 

Branner,  J.  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1892. 
Vol.  V.  The  Zinc  and  lead  region  of  north  Arkansas,  Little  Rook,  1900. 

The  Missouri  and  Arkansas  zinc  region.  Discussion  of  Eric  Hedburg'e 
paper  on  the  Missouri  and  Arkansas  Zinc  Mines.  Transactions  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  XXXI,  New  York,  1902. 

Chance,  H.  M. — The  Rush  Creek  zinc  district.  Transactions  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  XVIII,  New  York,  1890. 

Schmitz,  E.  J. — Notes  of  a  reconnaissance  from  Springfield,  Missouri,  into 
Arkansas.  Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  1898, 
v  ol.  .X..X  vJIl. 

Phillips,  Win.  B. — The  zinc-lead  deposits  of  southwest  Arkansas.  Engin- 
eering- and  Mining  Journal,  April  6,  1901,  Vol.  LXXI. 

The  removal  of  iron  from  zinc  blende.  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal 
November  30.  1901.  Vol.  LXXII.  New  York.  1901.  (Treatment  for  the  zinc 
ores  of  southwest  Arkansas.) 

Adams,  Geo.  I. — Zinc  and  lead  deposits  of  northern  Arkansas.  U.  S  Geol 
Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  213,  Washington,  1903.  Transactions  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers,  1903,  Vol.  XXXIV,  New  York,  1904. 

Winslow,  Arthur.— The  lead  and  zinc  deposits  of  Missouri.  Geol.  Survey  of 
Missouri  VI  and  VII.,  Jefferson  City,  1894.  (Contains  a  bibliography  of  lead 

Adams,  Purdue  and  Burchard. — Zinc  and  lead  deposits  of  northern  Arkan- 
sas. U.  S.  Geol.  Surv..  Professional  Paper  24.  Washington.  1904. 

Siebenthal,  C.  E. — Zinc  and  lead  deposits  of  the  Joplin  region.  Bui.  909. 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  1257-1266.  New  York,  Sept.  1917. 


66  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

NON-METALLIFEROUS  MINERALS  AND 
ECONOMIC  PRODUCTS. 


Arkansite. 

One  of  the  rare  minerals  found  in  Magnet  Cove,  which  has  attracted 
wide  attention  among  students  of  geology,  is  Arkansite  (Titanic  acid  or 
Brookite).  It  is  in  the  form  of  thick  black  crystals  and  is  much  sought  after 
by  collectors  of  mineral  specimens,  but  has  no  particular  commercial  value. 
Its  characteristics  and  geological  significance  is  discussed  in  numerous 
papers  and  publications  of  a  scientific  nature. 

REFERENCES. 

Shepard,  Charles  Upham. — On  three  new  mineral  species  from  Arkansas. 
American  Journal  of  Science,  second  series,  Vol.  LIT.  Arkansite,  Ozarkite  and 
Schloromite,  New  Haven,  1846. 

"Whitney,  J.  D. — Examination  of  three  new  mineralogical  species,  proposed 
by  Rev.  C.  U.  Shepard.  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  LVII,  New  Haven, 
1849.  Describes  briefly  Arkansite,  Schloromite  (with  analysis)  and  Ozarkite. 

(Arkansite,  Ozarkite  and  Schloromite).  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society 
of  Natural  Science,  Vol.  Ill,  Boston,  1851. 

Farther  account  of  the  Arkansite,  American  Journal  of  Science,  Second 
series.  Vol.  LVI.  Chemical  experiments  upon  Arkansite,  New  Haven,  1847. 


Asphalt. 

"Seven  asphalt  deposits,  three  of  which  are  in  Pike  County,  and  four  in 
Sevier  County,  in  southwestern  Arkansas,  were  examined  by  the  writers. 
*  *  *  The  asphalt  deposits  in  Pike  County  are  near  Pike,  Delight,  and  Mur- 
freesboro.  The  deposits  in  Sevier  county  are  between  Dierks  and  DeQueen, 
near  the  village  of  Lebanon. 

"The  asphalt  impregnates  nearly  horizonal  beds  of  loose  sand  in  the 
basal  part  of  the  Dierks  limestone  lentil  or  still  lower  in  ttie  Trinity  forma- 
tion. The  deposits  thus  consist  of  asphaltic  sand  except  at  one  place  where 
the  asphalt  impregnates  the  Pike  gravel  member  at  the  base  of  the  forma- 
tion. The  layers  containing  the  asphalt  range  from  an  inch  to  12  feet  in 
thickness. 

"The  asphalt  deposit  near  Pike  is  the  only  one  from  which  asphalt  has 
been  shipped  in  commercial  quantity.  The  asphaltic  sand  mined  at  that 
locality  from  1903  to  1906  by  the  Arkansas  Asphalt  Company  is  said  to  have 
amounted  to  4,815  tons,  valued  at  $22,368.  It  was  used  in  Little  Rock  in 
paving  West  Markham  Street  from  Main  to  Cross  streets,  a  distance  of  12 
blocks,  and  in  paving  part  of  Center  Street.  A  2-inch  surface  of  the  asphalt 
was  laid  upon  a  5-inch  concrete  base,  which  rested  upon  clay.  Owing  to 
improper  preparation  of  the  asphalt  the  paving  was  not  entirely  satisfactory. 

"The  asphalt  deposit  near  Delight  is  thin,  the  reported  thickness  being 
3  to  6  feet.  If  the  deposit  is  later  proved  to  maintain  that  thickness  under 
a  considerable  area,  it  might  be  profitably  worked,  but  the  overburden  is  so 
thick,  30  to  35  feet  or  more,  that  under-ground  mining  would  probably  be 
necessary.  The  asphalt  exposed  at  the  other  localities  is  not  thick  enough  to 
be  mined  and  probably  is  no  thicker  away  from  the  outcrops." — Extracts  from 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  691-J,  by  Hugh  D.  Miser  and  A.  H.  Purdue. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  67 


REFERENCES. 

Haves,  C.  AV. — The  asphalt  deposits  of  Pike  County,  Arkansas.  Engineer- 
ing and  Mining  Journal,  Dec.  13,  1902,  Vol.  LXXIV;  also  Bulletin  No.  213,  U.  S. 
Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1903.  Abstract,  Mineral  Industry,  Vol.  XI,  New  York, 
1903. 

Miser,  Hugh  D.  and  Purdue,  A.  H. — Asphalt  deposits  and  oil  conditions  in 
southwest  Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Bulletin  691-J,  1918. 


Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk. 

(Annual  Report  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  II,  1888.) 

"No  region  of  the  world  is  more  plentifully  and  conveniently  endowed 
with  such  valuable  natural  marls  and  chalks  than  Arkansas,  nor  is  there 
any  region  which  could  be  so  greatly  benefited  by  their  use.  We  have  here 
large  areas  of  soil  especially  deficient  in  the  very  ingredients  which  are 
so  plentifully  stored  up  in  our  marls.  Many  farmers  endeavor  to  cultivate 
soils  which  are  pure  commercial  marls,  in  which  there  is  entirely  too  much 
lime,  as  in  some  of  the  black  land  regions,  while  others  cultivate  land  utterly 
deficient  in  lime,  potash,  etc.,  which  might  readily  be  supplied  by  usins  the 
natural  marls.  Large  tracts  like  the  prairies  east  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway,  *  *  *  might  be  made  the  most  fertile  and  profitable  lands  of  the 
state. 

"It  is  very  remarkable  that  in  Arkansas,  within  a  small  triangular  area 
of  thirty  miles  square  between  Washington  and  Murfreesboro  and  the  White 
Cliffs  of  Little  River  we  have  abundant  supplies  of  at  least  four  of  these  val- 
uable kinds  of  marl,  greensand,  lime,  chalk  and  gypsum  with  the  reasonable 
expectation  that  another  year's  investigation  would  reveal  the  phosphates. 
These  facts  alone,  if  properly  utilized,  will  be  of  greater  value  to  the  state 
than  all  the  gold  dug  within  the  bounds  of  California  has  been  to  that  state. 


Cretaceous  Marls. 
(Annual  Report  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  II,  1888.) 

"These  marls  are  very  siliceous,  and  the  lime  and  greensand  occur  in 
local  horizons  or  beds.  Their  chief  value,  if  used  for  mixing,  would  be  to 
loosen  and  supply  phosphoric  acid,  iron  and  potash  to  sandy  and  sticky  clay 
lands.  *  *  *  *  The  potash  in  these  marls  is  3.06  parts  in  the  100.  The  lime 
can  be  regulated  by  selecting  the  fossiliferous  or  non-fossiliferous  portions. 
The  chief  point  of  occurrence  of  these  greensands  is  in  the  valley  of  Town 
Creek  at  Washington,  Hempstead  County,  where  the  greensand  occurs  in 
varying  degrees  of  purity,  accompanied  or  unaccompanied  by  shell  beds, 
which  are  useful  in  case  lime  is  also  needed.  The  same  greensands  occur 
in  Clark  County  at  many  places,  but  as  far  as  the  writer's  limited  observa- 
tions extend,  in  no  case,  so  pure  as  those  at  Washington.  The  sandy  surface 
residual  soils  of  these  marls,  occupying  an  intermittent  and  limited  strip 
from  Arkadelphia  to  Columbus,  are,  no  doubt,  the  finest  soils  possible 
for  fruit  trees  and  especially  valuable  for  growing  peaches.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  interesting  to  note  that  they  present  the  same  physical  condi- 
tion and  occupy  the  same  geologic  horizon  as  the  celebrated  peach  growing 
regions  of  New  Jersey. 


68  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

Chalky   or    Lime    Marls. 
(Annual  Report  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  II,  1888.) 

"The  lime  marls  of  the  middle  beds  of  the  upper  Cretaceous  in  Clark, 
Hempstead,  southern  Howard  and  Sevier  counties  are  of  great  variety  in 
composition,  inexhaustible  in  quantity,  and  must  be  a  source  of  great  wealth 
to  the  agricultural  industries  of  this  part  of  the  state  in  the  future.  The 
principal  geologic  horizons  of  these  marls  are  the  beds  between  Washing- 
ton greensands  and  the  White  Cliffs  chalk,  including  the  Big  Deciper,  Gry- 
phaea  vesicularis  and  Exogyra  ponderosa  marls,  at  innumerable  places  wher- 
ever these  are  the  surface  formations.  The  noted  cretaceous  black  lands 
are  without  exception,  the  immediate  residue,  or  but  slightly  transported 
debris,  of  these  formations. 

'"The  essential  ingredients  in  all  of  these  lime  marls  are  calcium  car- 
bonate, usually  in  a  chalky  state  of  division,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash;  the 
accessory  ingredients,  which  would  be  noted  in  comparison  with  the  soil  to 
be  treated,  are  sand  and  clay.  Greensand  is  usually  more  or  less  abundant 
throughout.  In  general,  these  lime  marls  possess,  in  addition  to  all  the  vir- 
tues of  greensand  marls  above  described,  a  large  and  valuable  percentage  of 
the  form  of  lime  known  as  calcium  carbonate." 

Gypseous  Marls  in  Greene  county  and  Calcareous  and  shell  marls  in 
Jefferson,  Lonoke  and  St.  Francis  counties,  in  addition  to  the  two  localities 
already  named,  are  reported  in  Bull.  624,  U.  S.  Geol,  Surv. 


Building  Stone. 

See  Granite. 

See  Marble  and  Limestone. 

See  Sandstone. 


Clays. 

Ball  or  Paper  Clay. 

Pike  county. 
Brick  Clay. 

Arkansas  county,  common  brick  made  from  red  surface  clay  at 
Stuttgart. 

Ashley  county,  alluvial  buckshot  clay  used  for  common  brick  at  Ham- 
burg. 

Benton  county,  pits  in  residual  red -clay  used  for  common  brick  at  Ben 
tonville,  Rogers  and  Siloam  Springs. 

Boone  county,  at  Harrison. 

Bradley  county,  at  Warren. 

Carroll  county,  common  brick  made  from  residual  clays  at  Berryville 
and  Green  Forest. 

Clark  county,  common  brick  made  from  alluvial  clay  at  Arkadelphia  and 
Gurdon,  common  brick,  fire  brick  and  draintile  from  Tertiary  clay  at  Whelen 
Springs. 


OUTLINES   OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  69 

Clay  county,  common  brick  made  from  red  clay  on  Crowley's  Ridge  at 
Rector,  Piggott  and  Pratt. 

Cleburne  county,  alluvial  clay  used  for  common  brick  at  Heber  Springs. 

Cleveland  county,  pressed  brick  made  at  Kingsland. 

Columbia  county,  surface  clays  used  for  common  brick  at  Magnolia  and 
Waldo. 

Craighead  county,  common  and  pressed  brick  made  from  clays  of  Crow- 
ley's  Ridge  at  Jonesboro. 

Cross  county,  loess  and  surface  clay  on  Crowley's  Ridge  used  at  Wynne. 

Drew  county,  alluvial  and  leached  buckshot  clays  used  near  Monticello 
for  common  brick. 

Faulkner  county,  buckshot  clays  used  at  Conway. 

Garland  county,  alluvial  and  residual  clays  and  Carboniferous  shales 
used  for  common  red  brick  at  Hot  Springs. 

Greene  county,  pressed  and  common  brick  made  from  reworked  loess  at 
Paragould,  and  from  loess  at  Gainesville. 

Hempstead  county,  surface  clay  used  at  Hope,  Doyle  and  Spring  Hill. 

Hot  Spring  county,  alluvial  clay  used  for  common  and  pressed  brick  at 
Malvern;  white  plastic  clay  for  white  front  and  paving  brick  at  Malvern. 

Howard    county,  common  brick  clay  at  Nashville. 

Independence  county,  red  surface  clay  for  common  brick  at  Batesville. 

Jefferson  county,  alluvial  and  surface  clays  used  at  Pine  Bluff  and  Red- 
field. 

Lawrence  county,  surface  clay  used  for  common  brick  at  Walnut  Ridge; 
yellow  or  reddish  clay  at  Black  Rock;  residual  clay  at  Imboden. 

Lee  county,  red  brick  from  loess  of  Crowley's  Ridge,  at  Marianna. 

Lincoln  county,  yellow  surface  clay  used  for  common  brick  at  Palmyra. 

Lonoke  county,  at  Lonoke  and  Cabot,  red  surface  clay  for  common  brick. 

Miller  county,  Tertiary  clays  used  at  Texarkana  for  pressed  and  com- 
mon brick. 

Mississippi  county,  yellow  alluvial  clay  used  for  common  brick  and 
draintile  at  Blytheville. 

Monroe  county,  at  Brinkley. 

Nevada  county,  at  Emmet  and  Prescott,  common  brick  and  building  tile. 

Phillips  county,  common  brick  made  from  mixture  of  surface  clay  and 
loess  at  Helena. 

Poinsett  county,  reworked  or  eroded  loess  used  at  Harrisburg  for  com- 
mon brick  and  draintile. 

Polk  county,  common  brick  made  from  residual  clay  at  Mena. 
Pope  county,  residual  clay  and  shale  used  at  Atkins. 
Prairie  county,  red  surface  clay  used  at  DeValls  Bluff. 
Pulaski  county,  surface  cfay  used  for  common  brick  at  Little  Rock. 
Randolph  county,  at  Pocahontas,  common  and  front  brick. 
St.  Francis  County,  brick  clay  and  yellow  loess  on  and  near  Crowley's 
Ridge,  burns  uniform  red;  used  at  Forrest  City. 


70  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

Saline  county,  surface  clays  used  at  Benton. 

Searcy  county,  residual  clays  used  for  common  brick  at  Marshall  and 
Leslie. 

Sebastian  County,  Carboniferous  shales  used  at  Fort  Smith  and  Mans- 
field for  common  and  paving  brick;  alluvial  clay  near  Fort  Smith  burns 
light  red,  soft  brick,  re-pressed  for  front  brick,  uniform  good  color. 

Sevier  county,  surface  clay  used  for  common  brick  near  Delmar. 

Union  county,  red  surface  clay  used  at  Felsenthal. 

Washington  county,  at  Prairie  Grove,  common  brick  and  draintile. 

White  county,  argilliceous  shales  of  Round  Mountain  suitable  for  sewer- 
pipe  and  paving  brick;  surface  clay  mined  at  Beebe,  Searcy  and  Judsonia 
for  common  brick. 

Woodruff  county,  surface  clay  used  at  Cotton  Plant;  common  brick  and 
draintile,  made  from  buckshot  clay  at  New  Augusta. 

Yell  county,  alluvial  and  surface  clay  mined  at  Dardanelle. 

Fire  Clay. 

Clark  county,  fire  brick  made  from  Tertiary  clay  at  Whelen  Springs. 

Crawford  county,  disintegrated  Carboniferous  shales  in  vicinity  of  Van 
Buren  makes  good  yellow  ware;  used  to  line  kilns  at  Fayetteville. 

Hot  Spring  county,  fire  brick  made  at  Malvern  and  Perla  from  Tertiary 
clays. 

Ouachita  county,  at  or  near  Lester,  *  *  *  high  grade  clay  which  burns 
gray  to  reddish  brown.  The  clay  is  used  in  place  of  imported  German  pot- 
tery for  crucibles,  tank  blocks  and  the  like  refractory  vessels  for  glass  works. 

Saline  county,  Tertiary  clays  used  for  fire  brick  at  Benton. 

Occurs  also  in  Conway,  Dallas,  Franklin,  Garland,  Hempstead,  Johnson 
Logan,  Pike,  Sebastian,  White  and  other  counties. 

Kaolin. 

Dallas  County  white  kaolin  of  fair  refractoriness  outcrops  in  the  Tertiary 
strata  in  the  SE&  section  10,  T.  7  S.,  R.  17  W.  and  on  Little  Cypress  Creek. 

Garland  county. 

Hot  Spring  county. 

Lawrence  county,  at  Black  Rock  and  Annieville. 

Ouachita  county,  in  large  quantity  in  Tertiary  strata  on  Sandy  Branch. 

Pike  county,  beds  of  variable  color  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  (Bingen 
sand)  outcrop  at  several  places  on  Saline.  Vaughan  and  Clear  Creeks  near 
Delight. 

Pulaski  county,  white  pisolitic  kaolin  in  places  in  Fourche  Mountain 
region,  burns  white  and  glazes  well. 

Saline  county,  nearly  white  kaolin,  residual  from  nephelite  syenite  at 
Bauxite. 

Pottery  Clays. 

Ashley  county,  Tertiary  clays  suitable  for  common  pottery,  near  Ham- 
burg. 

Bradley  county,  Tertiary  clays  at  Banks,  Alga  Bluff,  Crawford's  Bluff; 
clay  at  Johnsonville  formerly  used. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  71 

Calhoun  county,  supply  on  Champagnolle  Creek,  Moro  Creek  and  large 
streams. 

Clark  county,  Tertiary  clays  on  Copeland  Ridge  and  at  Berringer  mine 
near  Whelen  Springs. 

Clay  county,  Tertiary  clays  on  Crowley's  Ridge  near  Piggott  and  Green- 
way. 

Cleveland  county,  near  New  Edinburg,  Mount  Elba  and  other  places. 

Columbia  county,  near  Mount  Holly  and  Magnolia. 

Conway  county. 

Crawford  county. 

Dallas  county,  Tertiary  clays  abundant  and  of  excellent  quality  along 
streams. 

Drew  county. 

Faulkner  county,  buckshot  clays  abundant  over  flood  plains  of  streams. 

Franklin  county,  strong  dark-red  earthenware  residual  clays  abundant. 

Garland  county,  residual  clays  from  Paleozoic  shales  at  Hot  Springs  and 
on  Cedar  Mountain  formerly  used  for  pottery. 

Grant  county. 

Greene  county,  Tertiary  clays  on  Crowley's  Ridge  at  Gainesville,  for- 
merly used. 

Hempstead  county,  Tertiary  clays  used  for  jug  ware,  etc.,  at  Spring  Hill. 

Hot  Spring  county,  at  Perla  Switch,  near  Malvern,  burns  light-cream  col- 
ored common  pottery. 

Independence  county,  residual  clays  from  Moorefield  shale  and  Boone 
limestone  near  Sulphur  Rock  and  Newark,  formerly  used. 

Jefferson  county,  White  Bluff  on  Arkansas  River. 

Johnson  county,  soft  shale  sagger  clay  in  Felker  mine,  Coal  Hill. 

LaFayette  county,  leached  pottery  clays  along  Red  River. 

Logan  county,  Pennsylvanian  clay  abundant. 

Miller  county,  Tertiary  clays  used  at  Texarkana  for  jugs,  churns  and 
jars;  burns  solid  cream  color. 

Montgomery  county,  alluvial  clay  along  Ouachita  River  used  for  stone- 
ware near  Story. 

Nevada  county. 

Ouachita  county,  abundant  along  Ouachita  Valley. 

Pulaski  county,  red  and  yellow  surface  clay  used  for  making  flower  pots. 

Saline  cc-unty,  Tertiary  clays  used  for  jugs,  crocks,  jars,  art  pottery  and 
other  clay  ware  at  Benton;  Burns  solid  cream  color. 

Sebastian  county,  red  and  blue,  has  been  mined  in  NE1^  section  2'0,  T. 
10  N.,  R.  26  W.;  abundant  at  Fort  Smith  and  elsewhere;  light  yellowish  sur- 
face clay  used  at  Comby's  pottery. 

Union  county,  abundant. 

Yell  county,  Carboniferous  shale  formerly  used  in  SEV4  section  12,  T. 
6  N.,  R.  21  W. 

The  above  discussion  of  the  clays  is  taken  from  Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Useful  Minerals  of  the  United  States,  1917. 


72  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

Tertiary  Clays. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"The  Tertiary  clays  are  the  most  important  in  the  state.  With  their 
accompanying  sands,  marls  and  organic  deposits,  they  underlie  a  large  part 
of  the  state  east  and  south  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway,  south  of  Arkan- 
sas River.  North  of  this  and  east  of  the  Paleozoic  hills  the  sediments  are 
chiefly  Quarternary  deposits,  except  Crowley's  Ridge,  the  lowest  part  of 
which  is  Tertiary. 

"Limonite  hardpan,  or  buckshot,  is  found  all  over  the  low  country  for 
50  miles  or  more  west  of  Crowley's  Ridge.  On  the  east  of  the  ridge  it  is  but 
a  narrow  fringe  along  its  base  below  Poinsett  county  ,but  north  of  this  county 
it  spreads  over  the  whole  region  as  a  subsoil,  in  places  rising  to  the  surface 
and  varying  in  depth  from  3  to  7  feet.  It  extends  eastward  to  the  alluvial 
bottoms  of  the  St.  Francis.  Along  the  Cache  River  in  Greene  and  Clay  coun- 
ties much  of  the  land  is  made  up  of  these  slashes  or  buckshot  soil. 

"In  the  low,  flat  lands,  commonly  known  as  "slashes,"  thin  beds  of 
plastic  clays  are  found  at  places  where  acidulated  waters  have  leached  the 
iron  from  the  soil.  Some  small  potteries  get  their  clays  from  such  places. 
The  supply  of  available  clays  of  this  kind  is  uncertain,  and  most  of  the  areas 
covered  by  them  are  small.  Such  clays  occur  in  the  flat  lands  of  the  Creta- 
ceous, Tertiary  and  Quarternary  areas  of  fhe  state,  which,  are  not  alluvial 
lands,  properly  speaking." 


Clays   For    Drain   Tiles. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"There  is  no  lack  of  clay  in  this  state  available  for  the  manufacture  of 
good  drain  tiles.  The  light-blue  clays  through  the  country  lying  between 
Beebe  and  Kensett  and  m  thence  to  Judsonia,  and  between  Kensett  and  West 
Point,  in  White  county,  are  available  for  the  manufacture  of  tiles.  The  clays 
about  Brinkley,  Monroe  county,  are  well  adapted  to  tile  making.  Along  the 
western  base  of  Crowley's  Ridge  in  Phillips,  Lee  and  St.  Francis  counties, 
and  on  both  sides  of  the  ridge  in  Cross,  Poinsett,  Craighead,  Greene  and 
Clay  counties,  these  clays  are  abundant  and  of  excellent  quality.  They 
abound  also  along  Bradshaw  and  Terre  Noir  creeks  in  Clark  county. 

"In  the  counties  south  and  southeast  of  Little  Rock,  clays  available  for 
tile  making  occur  both  as  surface  soils  in  the  valleys  (not  alluvial)  and  in 
the  widespread  stratified  Tertiary  beds  of  the  region." 


Fort  Smith  Clays. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"Sebastian  county  is  among  the  leading  counties  of  the  state  in  the 
development  of  its  clay  industries.  Clay  shales  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  are 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  paving  bricks.  An  analysis  is  here  given  of  the 
Fort  Smith  clay  shales,  and  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  analyses  of  the 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  73 


well-known  Carboniferous  shales  of  Akron,  Ohio,  and  Cheltenham,  Missouri, 
are  added: 

Ft.  Smith  Akron,  O.  Cheltenham,  Mo. 

Silica  (Si  <h) . 58.43  60.05  54.92 

Alumina  (Al*  Oa) 22.50  20.00  22.71 

Iron  (Fe  2  Os) 8.36  6.82  9.81 

Lime(CaO) -1 .32  .52  .52 

Magnesia  (Mg  0)  1.14  .45  2.59 

Potash  (K  2  0)   2.18  1.79  3.16 

Soda 1.03  1.60  .62 

Sulphur .16  1.95 

Loss  on  Ignition  6.87  6.96  5.88 


100.20  100.99  100.21 

Sand 25.72  29.12  2.04 

Water  at  110°  —  115    C.  3.37  1.25  2.69 

"The  clay  shales  of  Sebastian  county  are  wide-spread  and  the  beds  are 
of  great  thickness.  The  shales  of  this  region  break  up  or  decompose  under 
the  influence  of  the  weather,  forming  plastic  clays.  Such  clays  are  available 
for  the  manufacture  not  only  of  paving  brick,  but  of  sewer  pipe  and  pottery. 

"The  abundance  of  excellent  raw  materials,  the  proximity  of  the  deposits 
to  the  coal  and  gas  fields  and  ample  transportation  facilities  have  encouraged 
development,  giving  the  county  high  rank  in  the  output  of  clay  products." 

Loess  For   Brick-Making. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"The  loess  constitutes  the  upper  30  to  90  feet  of  the  higher  portions  of 
Crowley's  Ridge  from  Dee  postoffice,  in  Craighead  county,  southward  to 
Helena,  in  Phillips  county.  At  Helena  it  attains  its  maximum  thickness. 
This  loess  is  especially  suited  to  the  manufacture  of  superior  grades  of 
brick.  Care  is  necessary  in  its  preparation  for  molding,  however,  and  dis- 
crimination is  required  in  respect  to  the  mixture  of  soils  from  the  neighbor- 
ing hills.  Where  the  soils  of  the  hillsides  are  largely  made  up  of  sands  and 
gravels  derived  from  local  outcrops  of  the  Tertiary  strata,  as  they  are  in 
some  places  about  Jonesboro,  Harrisburg,  Gainesville  and  Wynne,  they  are 
unsuited  to  the  manufacture  of  good  brick.  At  other  localities,  notably  near 
Marianna,  at  Forrest  City,  and  at  La  Grange,  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  along 
their  lower  margin  contain  many  small  nodules  of  limonite,  which  render  the 
soils  less  valuable  for  brick  manufacture.  If  these  nodules  .be  removed  by 
screening,  the  soils  can  be  used  successfully  in  brick  manufacture.  But  at 
all  these  localities  there  are  abundant  deposits  of  clean  loess  that  furnish 
unlimited  opportunities  for  brickmaking.  The  bricks  made  from  the  Crow- 
ley's  Ridge  loess  usually  burn  to  a  good  color — cherry — red  for  hard,  and  a 
lighter  shade  of  red  for  the  soft  burned  ones." 

Fire  Clay. 

(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 
"Fire  clays  occur  under  nearly  all  the  beds  of  lignite  wherever  they  have 
been  found  in  Crowley's  Ridge.     At  the  base  of  the  great  beds  on  Bolivar 
Creek  in  Poinsett  county,  are  found  clays  rich  in  alumina  and  which  might 


74  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


be  valuable  for  the  manufacture  of  press  bricks,  fire  bricks,  sewer  pipes 
and  similar  uses.  The  clay  is  light  gray  in  color  and  contains  but  little  grit. 
The  analysis  is  as  follows: 

Silica  61.76  per  cent 

Alumina    22.91  per  cent 

Iron   (ferric)   oxide 3.32  per  cent 

Lime    0.75  per  cent 

Magnesia    0.90  per  cent 

Potash 0.62  per  cent 

Phosphoric    Acid    Trace 

Loss  on   Ignition 8.75  per  cent 


Total 99.39 

Pottery  Clays. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"The  common  pottery  clays  of  Pulaski,  Hot  Springs,  Saline,  Clark,  Hemp- 
stead  and  Miller  counties,  and  those  in  other  of  the  southeastern  and  eastern 
counties  of  the  state,  are  all  of  sedimentary  origin  and  of  Eocene  or  lowf>r 
Tertiary  age.  They  were  laid  down  in  nearly  horizontal  beds,  which  gen- 
erally dip  toward  the  southeast  at  a  low  angle,  so  that  beds  that  outcrop  at  or 
near  the  Paleozoic  highlands  lie  at  depths  that  become  greater  toward  the 
southeast.  In  nature  these  Tertiary  deposits  vary  from  coarse  sands  through 
earthy  marls  to  fine  plastic  clays.  Many  of  the  clay  beds  contain  impres- 
sions of  fossil  leaves  and  small  sticks  of  wood — materials  that  evidently  sank, 
with  the  clays  that  inclose  them,  to  the  bottom  of  the  swamps  or  lagoons  that 
once  covered  this  region.  While  the  pottery  clays  dip  to  the  southeast  and 
gradually  descend  to  greater  depths  beneath  the  surface,  the  beds  do  not 
preserve  throughout  the  characters  they  may  display  at  a  single  exposure." 

Bauxite  Clays. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

"The  pisolitic  clays  and  kaolins  associated  with  the  bauxite  of  Arkansas, 
in  so  far  as  their  origin  is  understood,  do  not  appear  to  fall  under  any  of  the 
foregoing  classes.  Their  composition  varies  from  that  of  an  iron  ore  carry- 
ing 55  per  cent  of  metallic  iron  to  that  of  a  true  kaolin  with  but  little  or  no 
iron.  In  some  places  they  pass  by  gradual  transition  into  true  bauxite — that 
is,  a  hydrated  oxide  of  alumina;  in  others  they  are  a  true  kaolin,  a  hydrous 
silicate  or  alumina.  In  Arkansas,  as  in  southern  Prance  and  in  Ireland, 
where  similar  deposits  occur,  they  are  associated  more  or  less  intimately 
with  eruptive  rocks.  They  occur  in  pockety  deposits  of  uncertain  distribu- 
tion, with  a  tendency  to  form  horizontal  lenticular  beds  varying  greatly  In 
thickness  as  well  as  in  character." 

Shale. 
(U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  No.  351,  by  John  C.  Branner.) 

Over  the  most  of  the  slate-bearing  area,  south  of  the  Arkansas  River 
and  west  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad,  shale  is  common  and  much  of  it 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  75 

is  of  good  quality.     In  northern  Arkansas  the  Eureka  shale  is  present  in 
large  quantities." 

Kaolin. 

Deposits  of  kaolin  occur  at  many  places  and  in  a  variety  of  formations. 
The  best  known  deposits  are  those  of  Saline  county,  near  Benton  from  which 
the  famous  Niloak  (a  reversed  spelling  of  kaolin)  pottery  is  made.  The 
beauty  and  popularity  of  these  wares  is  due  as  much  to  the  skill  of  the 
artists  as  to  the  quality  of  the  material  from  which  the  pottery  is  made, 
though  the  texture  of  the  clay  and  its  colors  are  important  factors  in  ceramic 
art.  No  two  pieces  of  this  pottery  are  alike  in  arrangement  of  color.  Two  or 
more  shades  are  employed,  usually  a  blue  and  a  brown,  in  interesting  rota- 
tion and  accidental  pattern.  No  less  attractive  are  the  truly  artistic  designs 
by  which  the  clay  is  shaped  into  vases,  bowls,  urns  and  all  manner  of  nick- 
nacks,  such  as  ornament  the  library  table  or  mantle. 

Doctor  Branner  in  his  report  says: 

"The  kaolins  found  in  Saline  county  are  of  three  varieties:  (1)  a  com- 
pact variety,  derived  from  the  feldspathic  rocks  by  decomposition,  (2)  a  piso- 
litic  variety,  found  associated  more  or  less  intimately  with  the  bauxite 
deposits,  and  (3)  a  clay-like  variety  of  sedimentary  origin,  found  at  Benton." 
The  report  indicates  extensive  deposits  in  this  locality. 

In  the  same  report  Doctor  Branner  speaks  of  the  extensive  deposits  of 
kaolin  in  Pike  county  as  follows:  "The  Pike  county  kaolin  is  different  in 
physical  characters  from  any  other  kaolin  thus  far  found  in  the  state.  *  *  * 
The  largest  area  found  in  any  one  body  covered  about  10  acres.  No  expos- 
ures of  feldspathic  rock  are  within  50  miles  of  the  deposit.  *  *  *  *  The  greatest 
depth  at  which  the  kaolin  was  found  was  25  feet.  *  *  *  An  analysis  of  a  sam- 
ple of  kaolin  from  Vaughan  Creek  shows: 

Silica  (Si  00  48.87;  alumina  (Al  2  Os)  36.51;  iron  (ferric)  oxide  (Fe  2  Os) 
.98;  lime  (Ca  0)  .19;  magnesia  (Mg  0)  .25;  water  13.29.  *  *  *  It 
occurs  in  white,  pink  and  brown  colors.  *  *  *  It  should  be  looked  for  at 
places  where  it  will  have  a  covering  thick  enough  to  protect  it  from  infil- 
tration of  iron-charged  waters  from  the  surface.  *  *  *  The  analysis  of  this 
kaolin  shows  that  except  for  ttie  stains  referred  to  it  is  sufficiently  pure  for 
the  manufacture  of  fine  porcelain  ware.  It  seems  to  be  well  adapted  also 
for  paper  finishing.  It  also  has  high  refractory  properties  and  in  case  it 
can  not  be  found  free  from  impurities  that  would  injure  it  as  a  china  clay, 
it  is  still  available  for  the  manufacture  of  a  high  grade  of  fire  proof  articles." 

In  the  Fourche  Mountain  district,  where  the  igneous  rocks  are  much 
weathered,  there  are  beds  and  local  deposits  of  kaolin  or  kaolinite,  frequently 
impure  from  siliceous  or  ferruginous  admixtures.  Halloysite,  a  hydroufc 
alumina  silicate,  allied  to  kaolinite  is  found  in  the  western  part  of  Pulaski 
County  and  at  the  Montezuma  mine  in  Garland  County. 

A  white  kaolin  of  fair  refractoriness  outcrops  on  the  Kilmer  land  in 
Dallas  County  and  a  quantity  is  reported  on  Sandy  Branch  in  Ouachita  Coun- 
ty. Of  the  latter  deposit  Doctor  Branner  says:  "After  the  sand  is  removed 
by  washing  it  is  available  for  the  manufacture  of  pottery  and  also  as  a  re- 
fractory material.  The  quantity  seems  to  be  very  large."  The  kaolin  depos- 
its in  Magnet  Cove  are  not  considered  of  commercial  importance. 


76  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


During  the  latter  part  of  1909  and  the  early  part  of  1910,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  State  Geological  Survey,  H.  D.  Miser,  began  the  work  of  collecting 
samples  of  clay  and  making  the  necessary  observations  as  to  the  thickness, 
extent,  covering,  character,  etc.,  of  the  deposits  for  the  publication  of  a 
complete  report.  Eighty-seven  samples  were  collected  from  the  different 
parts  of  the  state  and  transported  to  the  University  of  Arkansas  but  these 
samples  were  never  tested  and  further  work  on  the  clay  report  was  sus- 
pended due  to  the  veto,  by  the  Governor,  of  the  appropriation  made  by  the 
Legislature  of  1911  for  the  maintenance  of  the  survey. 

REFERENCES. 

1*  rainier,  John  C. — The  Clays  of  Arkansas.  Bulletin  No.  351  of  the  U.  S. 
Geol.  Surv.,  and  geological  majp  of  Arkansas,  Washing-ton,  1908. 

B  runner,  John  C. — A  bibliography  of  clays  and  the  Ceramic  Arts,  451  pages, 
published  by  the  American  Ceramic  Society,  Columbus,  Ohio,  1906. 

Clays  for  paving  bricks  at  Fort  Smith.     Fort  Smith,  1889. 

Analyses  of  Fort  Smith  clay  shales.  Brick,  Tile  and  Pottery  Gazette 
Vol.  X,  No.  3,  June,  1889. 

Chatard,  J.  M. — Analysis  of  "Tallow  clay,"  from  Arkansas  Bulletin  No 
90,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1892. 

Eckel,  E.  C. — Clays  of  Garland  County,  Arkansas.  Bulletin  No  285  U  S 
Geol.  Surv.,  1905,  Washington,  1906. 

Eakin,  L,.  G. — Analysis  of  kaolin  from  Garland  County,  Arkansas  14  miles 
from  Hot  Springs.  Bulletin  No.  78,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington.  1891. 

Purdue,  A.  H. — Possibilities  of  the  Clay  Industry  of  Arkansas,  published 
by  the  Arkansas  Brickmakers'  Association,  Little  Rock,  1910. 


Cement  Materials. 

"Inasmuch  as  clays  occur  in  almost  every  part  of  the  state  in  greater 
or  less  abundance,  it  is  assumed  that  the  location  of  the  chalk,  at  White 
Cliffs,  must  determine  the  site  of  a  possible  cement  factory.  A  special  effort 
has  therefore  been  made  to  ascertain  whether  the  clays  at  and  near  the 
chalk  deposits  are  available  for  the  production  of  cement.  Little  River  and 
Sevier  county  clays  are  intimately  associated  with  the  post-tertiary  gravels, 
and  cover  large  portions,  not  of  Little  River  and  Sevier  counties  alone  but  of 
several  of  the  adjoining  counties  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state." — 
Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  II,  1888. 

The  proximity  of  the  natural  gas  field  of  northwest  Louisiana  to  the 
White  Cliffs  chalk  deposits  affords  an  additional  advantage  for  the  utiliza- 
tion of  the  abundant  supply  of  materials  in  southwest  Arkansas  for  the  manu 
facture  of  cement  and  at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  this  bulletin  it  is  re- 
ported that  a  large  cement  plant  is  to  be  installed,  natural  gas  promising  to 
solve  the  troublesome  fuel  problem. 

"Limestone  suitable  for  Portland  cement  occurs  in  many  counties  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  state." — U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Bull.  624. 

REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — On  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement.  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1888,  Vol.  II,  Little  Rock,  1888.  Con- 
tains tables  of  analyses  of  Arkansas  chalks  and  clays. 

"The  Cement  Materials  of  Southwest  Arkansas."  Transactions  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  1897,  Vol.  XXVII.  5  cuts  and  map. 

Reply  to  criticism  of  R.  T.  Hill,  on  "The  Cement  Deposits  of  Arkansas." 
Transactions  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  XXVII,  New  York, 
1897. 

Eckel,  E.  C. — Portland  Cement  Resources  of  Arkansas.  Bulletin  No.  243. 
U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington.  1905. 


OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  77 


Fitzhugh,  G.  D. — The  Portland  cement  materials  of  southwestern  Arkan- 
sas. Engineering  Association  of  the  South.  Transactions,  Vol.  XV,  1905. 

Hill,  Robt.  T. — Criticism  of  the  paper  of  J.  C.  Branner  on  "Cement  De- 
posits of  Arkansas."  Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  En- 
gineers, Vol.  XXVII. 

Chalk. 

(See  Limestone  for  Lime,  Cement  Materials  and  Agricultural  Marls.) 
"The  chalk  deposits  of  the  state,  so  far  at  least  as  the  Geological 
Survey  has  been  able  to  outline  them,  are  confined  to  Little  River  county.  It 
is  highly  probable,  however,  that  similar  or  more  or  less  modified  deposits 
may  be  yet  found  in  adjacent  counties  along  the  northeastern  extension  of  the 
outcrop.  The  chalk  is  exposed  at  and  about  the  village  of  Rocky  Comfort 
and  at  and  about  White  Cliffs  Landing  on  Little  River.  The  most  extensive 
exposures  are  those  about  Rocky  Comfort  where  the  chalk  and  black  soil 
derived  from  its  decomposition  cover  an  area  of  about  twenty  square  miles. 
The  chalk  and  the  chalky  limestones  extend  further  north  and  further  east 
than  they  are  represented,  *  *  *  but  they  are  covered  in  those  directions  by 
superficial  post-tertiary  deposits  of  clay,  gravel  and  sands  to  depths  which 
would  probably  render  their  handling  unprofitable.  Even  the  derived  black 
soil  is  itself  too  thick  in  many  places  to  admit  of  removal,  The  area  over 
which  the  chalk  is  actually  exposed  and  without  covering  about  Rocky 
Comfort  is  estimated  to  be  only  about  900  acres. 

"The  value  of  this  chalk  is  hardly  appreciated  at  the  present  time. 
When  we  consider  that  chalk  is  a  very  soft  rock  ,and  therefore,  does  not 
require  grinding  as  do  the  compact  limestones,  and  further  the  greater  ease 
with  which  it  can  be  burnt  to  lime,  its  superiority  over  other  limestones 
may  be  seen.  The  fact  that  this  bed  is  the  only  one  known  to  exist  in  the 
United  States  may  increase  its  value.  *  *  These  cliffs  which  long  have  been 
a  landmark  of  the  region,  are  about  150  feet  high,  perpendicular,  and  as  white 
and  almost  as  pure  as  the  celebrated  chalk  cliffs  of  Dover,  England.  *  *  * 
The  following  analyses  show  how  closely  it  agrees  in  composition  with  the 
chalk  of  Medway,  England,  which  has  been  so  long  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  Portland  cement: 

Medway,  Eng.    Rocky  Comfort    White  Cliffs 

Carbonate  of  Lime 88.50  88.48  90.32 

Carbonate    of   Magnesia Trace 

Iron    Oxide    1.05  1.25  6.85 

Alumina  2.82  i:25  1.30 

Alkalies    2.61  None 

Silica   5.45  9.77  6.85 

— Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  II,  1888. 

REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — Heports  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  II,  1888,  and 
Vol.  IV,  1890. 

Marcou  and  Belknap. — Jura,  Neocomian  and  Chalk  of  Arkansas.  American 
Geologist,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  357-367,  December,  1889. 

Anonymous. — Chalk  of  southwestern  Arkansas.  Stone,  April,  1902,  Vol. 
XXIV,  New  York,  1902. 

Taff,  J.  A. — Chalk  of  southwestern  Arkansas,  with  notes  on  its  adaptability 
to  the  manufacture  of  hydraulic  cement.  Twenty-second  Annual  Report  of 
the  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Part  III.  Washington,  1902. 


Ten-foot   Vein    of   Coal    in    a    Sebastian    County    Mine. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


79 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVev  OF  ARKANSAS.  COAL  MINING. 


Ontiim:  map  of   the   Arkansas  coaibeld. 

Coal. 

Beneath  the  beds  of  the  Arkansas  River,  extending  westward  from 
Russellville  to  the  state  line  there  are  extensive  deposits  of  coal.  The 
law  provides  that  all  mineral  deposits  under  the  bed  of  the  rtream  belong  to 
the  state  and,  in  a  case  from  Ft.  Smith,  involving  the  right  of  certain 
persons  to  take  sand  from  the  river  without  compensation  to  the  state,  this 
law  was  upheld  by  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  thus  permanently  estab- 
lishing the  state's  title  to  mineral  deposits  underlying  the  Arkansas  River. 
Dr.  John  C.  Branner,  former  State  Geologist,  reported  these  river  bed  coal 
lands  in  a  letter  to  the  Governor  on  July  29,  1895. 

From  the  reports  of  John  C.  Branner,  A.  H.  Purdue,  and  A.  A.  Steel, 
and  from  other  official  publications  ,the  following  facts  are  quoted: 

The  coal-bearing  area  of  the  state  is  1584  square  miles  in  extent.  The 
field  reaches  from  Russellville  on  the  east  through  Pope,  Johnson,  Logan, 
Yell,  Franklin,  Crawford,  Sebastian  and  Scott  counties  to  and  beyond  the 
Oklahoma  border. 

About  Clarksville  and  Russellville  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  field,  the 
product  is  a  high-grade  semi-anthracite  and  in  the  western  part  of  the  field 
is  produced  a  high-grade  semi-bituminous  coal  of  almost  smokeless  quality. 

Varying  widely  in  character,  the  Arkansas  coals  will  prove  of  their 
greatest  utility,  when  the  differences  of  quality  are  more  properly  emphasized 
in  the  trade  and  employed  for  the  specific  uses  to  wfoich  each  type  of  fuel  is 
especially  adapted,  for  a  coal  that  is  remarkably  well  adapted  to  one  purpose 
may  be  ill-fitted  for  another.  The  semi-anthracite  is  preferable  for  domestic 
use,  because  of  its  cleanliness,  and  the  semi-bituminous  is  more  suited  to 
steaming  purposes  in  locomotives  or  factory  furnaces,  because  of  its  high- 
heat-producing  qualities. 

The  most  promising  opportunities  for  the  development  of  Arkansas'  coal 
trade  lies  in  the  increase  of  home  consumption  by  the  more  fuller  develop- 


80  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


ment  of  the  manufacturing  resources  of  the  state,  for,  while  the  geographic 
position  of  the  field  is  favorable  for  the  shipment  of  fuel  to  the  southern 
states  in  which  marketable  coal  is  scarce  or  entirely  absent,  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  this  advantage  is  offset  to  a  large  extent  by  competition  of 
the  Mississippi  River  traffic,  making  the  eastern  coal  more  accessible  to  the 
Gulf  ports  than  Arkansas  coal. 

The  installation  of  electrical  equipment  for  the  mining  of  coal  by  ma- 
chinery has  proved  successful  in  this  field  and  will  no  doubt  revolutionize 
the  system  of  mining,  producing  a  better  quality  of  coal  and  reducing  the  loss 
from  waste,  thereby  conserving  one  of  the  state's  most  valuable  resources. 
This  together  with  the  establishment  of  more  equitable  freight  rates  to  the 
northwestern  coal  markets,  is  proving  helpful  to  the  coal  mining  industry  in 
Arkansas. 

So  far  as  now  understood,  the  combustible  matter  of  the  coal  was 
originally  formed  by  plants  of  ancient  kinds,  growing  in  swamps,  such  as 
those  of  southern  Louisiana  or  eastern  Virginia.  By  falling  into  water, 
the  vegetable  matter  was  preserved  from  ordinary  decay  and  soon  changed 
into  a  condition  resembling  peat.  After  a  certain  time  this  peaty  material 
was  covered,  generally  by  mud,  as  sometimes  now  happens  to  similar  de- 
posits in  the  delta  of  the  Mississippi.  Additional  sediment  was  washed  in 
as  the  country  was  more  or  less  gradually  submerged,  until  the  original 
vegetable  matter  of  the  Arkansas  coal  was  covered  by  some  thousands  of 
feet  of  mud  and  sand.  This  mud  and  sand  in  the  course  of  time  changed 
respectively  to  shale,  which  the  miner  calls  'slate,'  and  to  sandstone.  While 
covered  in  this  way,  the  peat  also  changed  to  coal. 

Since  the  original  swamp  was  not  everywhere  equally  deep,  and  since 
the  vegetation  grew  more  rapidly  or  decayed  less  in  some  parts  than  in 
others,  the  thickness  of  the  coal  is  far  from  uniform  over  the  entire  field. 
The  swamp  also  shifted  its  position  at  different  times,  and  the  growth  of 
vegetation  ceased  occasionally,  while  thin  layers  of  mud  were  washed  in. 
Therefore,  no  one  bed  of  coal  is  continuous  over  the  whole  coal-bearing 
area,  and  there  are  often  one  or  more  partings  of  dirt  or  rock  known  as 
'middle  band'  or  'band  rock'  between  the  parts  or  'benches'  of  the  thicker 
seams.  At  least  a  thin  bed  of  coal  was  formed  over  most  of  the  Arkansas 
coal-area  just  after  the  sand  which  now  forms  the  Hartshorne  sandstone 
was  put  down,  at  which  time  the  sea  became  shallow  and  filled  with  mud  and 
vegetable  matter.  This  Hartshorne  sandstone  is  a  thick,  easily  recognized 
stratum  of  rock,  and  indicates  the  most  favorable  place  for  prospecting, 
because  the  greater  part  of  the  coal  in  the  state  is  just  above  it.  This  bed 
is  known  at  Hartshorne  coal.  Smaller  swamps  were  formed  at  two  or  three 
levels  or  'horizons'  above  this,  with  as  much  as  1,000  to  1,200  feet  of  shale 
and  sandstone  between  the  resulting  coal  seams.  In  outlying  parts  of  the 
main  coal  field,  and  as  far  away  as  the  northwest  part  of  the  state,  thin 
beds  of  coal  ,mined  for  local  use,  were  deposited  considerably  before  the 
Hartshorne  coal,  and  as  much  as  2,000  feet  beneath  its  horizon. 

All  of  the  Arkansas  true  coal  was  deposited  during  the  great  coal- 
forming  period  called  by  geologists  the  Pennsylvanian  period.  Much  later  in 
Tertiary  time,  there  were  extensive  peat  swamps  over  much  of  that  part 
of  the  state  which  is  now  low  and  flat.  This  material,  however,  has  not 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  81 

been  completely  changed  to  coal,  but  has  only  reached  the  stage  of  lignite, 
which  contains  so  much  water  that  it  is  not  now  commercially  valuable  for 
direct  burning,  although  the  beds  are  very  thick,  and  used  to  a  slight  extent 
for  making  gas. 

Since  the  coal  was  buried,  the  region  has  been  raised  and  lowered  at 
different  times.  During  this  process,  the  rock  layers  including  the  coal 
seams,  which  were  originally  practically  flat,  have  been  gently  folded  up 
into  anticlines  and  down  into  synclines.  As  a  result  they  are  now  seldom 
level,  but  have  a  dip  or  'pitch'  occasionally  as  much  as  18  degrees  from  the 
horizontal,  but  generally  less  than  6  or  7  degrees  or  10  feet  in  100  feet. 

While  the  region  has  been  above  the  sea,  the  original  rocks  of  the 
coal-bearing  formation  have  been  attacked  by  weather  and  streams,  until 
much  of  the  country  has  been  reduced  to  about  the  level  of  the  Arkansas 
River  by  the  wearing  away  of  some  thousands  of  feet  of  rocks.  The  present 
surface  is  below  the  higher  part  of  the  old  anticlines  of  the  coal  beds.  Con- 
sequently, much  of  the  coal  has  been  carried  away  by  erosion.  Since  the  land 
surface  is  hilly,  the  broad  line,  along  which  the  main  coal  seam  cuts  the 
surface,  or  the  'outcrop'  is  very  irregular,  although  most  of  the  coal  is  now 
in  the  synclines  or  'basins'  as  they  are  called  by  the  miners.  Some  of  the 
highest  mountains  in  the  field,  such  as  Sugarloaf,  Poteau  and  Magazine, 
are  immediately  over  these  basins. 

Extent  of  the  Coal   Supply. 

The  Arkansas  coal  field  lies  in  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas  River  between 
the  western  border  of  the  state  and  Russellville.*  It  has  roughly  the  shape 
of  a  Roman  capital  L  with  its  base  along  the  Oklahoma  line.  It  is  about 
33  miles  wide  and  60  miles  long,  but  it  is  only  in  the  eastern  and  western 
parts  of  this  area  that  the  Hartshorne  coal  is  probably  thick  enough  or 
sufficiently  free  from  partings  to  be  of  economic  importance.  Still,  some 
300  to  320  square  miles  will  probably  contain  coal  which  may  be  mined.  In 
places,  the  coal  is  over  8  feet  thick,  and  when  clean  and  of  good  quality,  it 
has  been  mined  where  no  thicker  than  18  inches.  The  Hartshorne  seam  will 
probably  average  about  3  feet  thick,  and  assuming  this  thickness  over  310 
square  miles,  that  part  of  this  bed  which  lies  in  Arkansas  once  contained 
something  like  a  billion  and  a  quarter  tons  of  coal.  The  small  amount  of 
coal  above  and  below  the  Hartshorne  horizon  may  be  nearly  equivalent  to 
that  already  mined,  which  was  about  46,800,000  tons  up  to  the  end  of  1919. 
At  an  average  'recovery'  of  80  per  cent  in  mining,  the  state  will  therefore 
yield  only  about  850,000,000  tons,  but  at  the  present  rate  of  mining,  this  will 
last  for  350  years.  T'he  rate  of  mining  will  probably  increase. 

Upon  the  accompanying  map  is  indicated  the  area  in  which  the  Hart- 
shorne coal  is  of  known  importance.  Coal  can  not  be  mined  from  every  acre 
of  this  area  because  there  are  many  small  tracts  in  it  that  contain  only 
faulty  or  thin  coal.  They  are  often  too  small  to  map,  and  the  exact  location 
of  many  of  them  will  not  be  known  until  all  of  the  good  coal  has  been  mined. 
This  faulty  coal  occupies^  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  are^s  of  the 
mines  already  opened.  Since  the  best  part  of  the  coal  seam  is  opened  first, 
there  will  be  a  larger  proportion  of  faulty  coal  in  the  remaining  parts  of 


*See   Collier's   report  for   partial   description   of   the   field    and   geology: 


82  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


the  Hartshorne  seam.  The  amount  of  this  faulty  coal  has  been  guessed  at 
in  placing  the  ultimate  recovery  of  the  coal  at  the  low  figure  of  80  per  cent. 
Attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  the  largest  part  of  the 
unmined  area  of  thick  Hartshorne  coal  lies  beneath  Sugarloaf  and  Poteau 
mountains.  These  tracts  constitute  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  Arkan- 
sas coal  reserves,  estimated  above.  Unfortunately,  most  of  this  coal  is  under 
from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  of  rock  and  can  not  be  profitably  mined  until  the 
price  of  coal  is  largely  increased. 

Heating  Value  of  Arkansas  Coal. 

The  coals  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  field  have  about  seven  to  nine 
times  as  much  fixed  carbon  as  volatile  combustible  matter,  and  are  rated  as 
semi-anthracite.  These  are  sold  for  domestic  use  at  but  little  below  the 
price  of  the  Pennsylvania  anthracite.  Those  in  the  western  part  of  the 
field  contain  but  three  to  six,  generally  five,  times  as  much  fixed  carbon  as 
volatile  combustible,  and  the  coals  are  bituminous.  They  are  less  smoky 
than  most  bituminous  or  soft  coals. 

The  heating  value  of  the  coal,  whicrn  lies  between  13,700  and  14,700 
British  thermal  units,  and  its  specific  gravity  (average  1.35)  place  it  among 
the  best  coals  in  the  United  States.  Its  moisture  and  ash  are  also  low,  but 
it  contains  a  little  more  sulphur  than  other  high  grade  coals.  This  sulphur, 
combined  with  iron  as  pyrite  or  'fool's  gold'  often  occurs  as  large  nodules  or 
layers,  which  the  miners  call  'sulphur  balls'  or  'sulphur  bands.'  These  are 
noticeably  heavier  than  the  coal,  and  can  be  easily  picked  out  by  the  care- 
ful miners.  The  Arkansas  coal  is  probably  a  little  softer  than  similar  coals 
from  some  other  fields. 

List  of  Arkansas  Coal  Operators. 
Sebastian  County. 

Western  Coal  &  Mining  Company Jenny  Lind 

Conroy  Coal  Company Hartford 

Central  Coal  &  Coke  Company Huntington 

Central  Coal  &  Coke  Company Hartford 

Central  Coal  &  Coke  Company Prairie  Creek 

Mammoth  Vein  Coal  Company Prairie  Creek 

Hartford  Coal  Company Hartford 

Katy  Coal  Company Midland 

New  Coronado  Coal  Company ..Arkoal 

National  Coal  Mining  Company ; Hackett 

American  Smokeless  Coal  Company Greenwood 

Greenwood  Coal  Company Greenwood 

Arkansas  Coal  Mining  Company Hartford 

Woodson  Bar  Coal  Company Bonanza 

Woodson  Coal  Company Hartford 

Hartford  Smokeless  Coal  Company Hartford 

Bolen  Darnall  Coal  Company Hartford 

Harbottle  Coal  Company Hartford 

Rush  Coal  Company Hartford 

Hackett  Smokeless  Coal  Company Excelsior 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  83 


Arkansas  Valley  Coal  Company—  .-Hackett 

Backbone  Coal  Company ..Excelsior 

Crescent  Coal  Company -  -Hackett 

Phoenix  Coal  Company __Arkoal 

Bonanza  Smokeless  Coal  Company ...Bonanza 

C.  C.  Woodson  Coal  Company Montreal 

Greenwood  Ridge  Coal  Company Montreal 

Jim  Lee  Coal  Company Montreal 

G.  W.  Jackson  Coal  Company Midland 

Mama  Coal  Company ..Jenny  Lind 

Turnipseed  Coal  Company Midland 

Trantham  Coal  Company Midland 

W.  C.  McCormack  Coal  Company Burma 

Robinson  Coal  Company ..Midland 

Security  Coal  Company Burma 

Dave   Moody  Coal  Company Burma 

John  Mantell ..Prairie  Creek 

Martin-Rains  Coal  Company  .Hartford 

Price  &  Wilson  Coal  Company ..Huntington 

J.  F.  Looper  Coal  Company ..Huntington 

Hackett-Excelsior  Coal  Company Ft.  Smith 

Peacock  Coal  Company Jenny  Lind 

W.  H.  Meillmier  Coal  Company Hartford 

S.  A.   McAdoo  Coal  Company Barling 

Graham-Hall  Coal  Company Huntington 

Co-Operative  Coal  Company Burma 

Jim  Fork  Coal  Company Midland 

Hartford  Valley  Fuel  Company Hartford 

McGehee  &  Urquhart  Coal  Company Jenny  Lind 

Litchford  Coal  Company  Huntington 

Border    Coal   Company    Hackett 

Fax  Coal  Company Huntington 

F.  H.  Schwearjohnn  Coal  Company Hartford 

Basinger  Coal  Company Excelsior 

Bargibend   Coal  Company   Excelsior 

Davis  Coal  Company Prairie  Creek 

George  Wilkinson Prairie  Creek 

Roughley  Coal  Company Hartford 

M.  Clayton Hartford 

T.  H.  Bunch  Coal  Company Hackett 

Great  Western  Coal   Company Hartford 

Pruett  Coal  Company   Hackett 

Gibson  &  Rice  Coal  Company R.  F.  D.,  Charleston 

Tom  Hoopengarner  Coal  Company Huntington 

Thatch  &  Graham Montreal 

Smokeless  Fuel  Company    Montreal 

Woodson  &  Abernathy :* Montreal 

Williamson  Strip  Pit  Montreal 

Sun  Coal  Company  _  . -Hackett 


84  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Franklin  County. 

Western  Coal  &  Mining  Company Denning 

Geo.  E.  Dodson  Coal  Company Alix 

Wallis  McKinney  Coal  Company Alix 

Denning  Coal  Company  Denning 

Schmidt  Blakely  Coal  Company Alix 

Semi-Anthracite  Fuel   Company   Alix 

Altus  Black  Diamond  Coal  Company Altus 

Haskell  Coal  Company Charleston 

Douglass  Coal  Company Denning 

Douglas  Coal   Company   Alix 

Lewis  &  Whittle Alix 

Moomaw  Coal  Company Ozark 

Denning  Domestic  Coal  Company  Alix 

Liberty  Coal  Company Denning 

Ozark  Coal  &  Mining  Company Ozark 

Jones  Mine  Ozark 

Carpenter  Coal  Company Charleston 

Smith  Brothers  Coal  Company Ozark 

Altus  Coal  Company Denning 

Johnson  County. 

Sterling  Anthracite  Coal  Company Clarksville 

Fernwood  Mining  Company Clarksville 

Fernwood  Mining  Company Montana 

Spadra  Creek  Coal  Company Spadra 

Luca  Mardis  Coal  Company Spadra 

McWilliams  Ward  &  Company Spadra 

Johnson  King  &  Company Montana 

McKinney   Bros.    Coal    Company Montana 

Clark  McWilliams  Coal  Company Williams  Spur 

Scranton  Anthracite  Coal  Company Montana 

Collier-Dunlap  Coal  Company Hartman 

Duncan  Coal  Company Hartman 

Hoing  Coal  Company Coal  Hill 

Gaelic    Coal   Company    Coal  Hill 

Rafter  Coal  Company Coal  Hill 

Douglas  Brothers  Coal  Company Coal  Hill 

I.  H.  Mitchell Coal  Hill 

Douglass  &  Sons   Coal  Hill 

Smokeless  Anthracite  Coal  Company Spadra 

Consolidated  Coal  Company Spadra 

W.  A.  Hill  Coal  Company Coal  Hill 

J.  V.  Herring Montana 

Eustice  Coal   Company   Montana 

Pope  County. 

Southern  Anthracite  Coal  Company Russellville 

Ouita  Anthracite  Coal  Company  Ouita 

H.  K.  Vines  Mine  Russellville 

Claude  Humphrey   _  ..Russellville 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  85 

Logan  County. 

Short  Mountain  Coal  Company Paris 

Goldsworthy   Brothers    Paris 

Grand  Coal  Company Paris 

Dennis  Coal  Company Paris 

Paris  Coal  Company Paris 

New  Union  Coal  Company Paris 

J.  R.  Remy  Coal  Company Paris 

Davis  Coal  Company Paris 

Schmalz  Bros.  Coal  Company Paris 

Liberty  Coal  Company Paris 

Gunter  Coal  Company Scranton 

George  Daly  &  Company Prairie  View 

Simon  Gagaway   Paris 

Scott  County. 

Hodge  Coal  Company   Bates 

Liles  Coal  Company 1_ Coaldale 

Harper  Coal  &  Coke  Company Bates 

Bates  Smokeless  Coal  Company Bates 

Bethel  Coal  Company   Mansfield 

Crawford  County. 
John  Owens Alma 

Yell  County. 

Cornelius  King Chickalah 

N.  Goodier  Dardanelle 

Washington  County. 

J.  W.  Turnsill Baldwin 

J.  R.  Stanberry Baldwin 

H.  M.  Reed Baldwin 

W.  M.  Edwards  &  Son  _  ..Baldwin 


REFERENCES. 

Allen,  Thomas. — Semi-anthracite  coal  100  miles  west  of  Little  Rock. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  Ill,  New 
York,  1874. 

Anonymous. — Arkansas  anthracite  coal.  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal, Feb.  22,  1902,  Vol.  LXXIII. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Arkansas 
for  1888,  Vol.  III.  The  geology  of  the  coal  regions;  a  preliminary  report  upon 
a  portion  of  the  coal  regions  of  Arkansas,  by  Arthur  Winslow,  map,  Little 
Rock,  1888. 

Branner,  John  C. — A  preliminary  statement  of  the  distribution  of  coal 
over  the  area  examined  by  the  Geological  Survey  (of  Arkansas).  Arkansas 
Gazette,  Little  Rock,  Feb.  13,  1889. 

Branner,  John  C. — "the  Coal  Fields  of  Arkansas."  Mineral  Resources  of 
the  United  States,  Washington,  1893. 

Bain,  H.  F.. — The  Bonanza,  Arkansas,  coal  mines.  Engineering  and  Min- 
ing Journal,  Nov.  12,  1898,  Vol.  LXVI,  pp.  579-580. 

Bache,  F. — The  Arkansas-Indian  Territory  coal  field.  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal,  Vol.  LXXVI,  New  York,  Sept.  "l2,  1903. 

(  Invrliorn.  Clarence  R. — The  preparation  of  Bernice  anthracite  coal.  An- 
nual Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1888,  Vol.  Ill,  Little  Rock,  1888. 


86  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Chance,  H.  M. — Geology  of  the  Choctaw  coal  fields.  Transactions  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining-  Engineers,  Vol.  XVIII,  New  York,  1890.  Con- 
tains notes  on  Arkansas  coals. 

Collier,  Arthur  J. — The  Arkansas  coal  field.  Bulletin  No.  316,  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Washington,  1907;  also  Bulletin  No.  326,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1907. 

Campbell,  M.  B. — The  classification  of  coals.  Bi-monthly  Bulletin  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  No.  5,  New  York,  Sept.,  1905.  (In- 
cludes Arkansas  coals.) 

Crane,  W.  R. — Coal  mining  in  Arkansas.  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal, Oct.  28,  1905. 

Drake,  N.  F. — A  geological  reconnaissance  of  the  coal  fields  of  the  In- 
dian Territory.  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  Vol. 
XXXVI,  with  ills,  and  maps.  Reference  to  Arkansas  geology.  A  reprint  pub- 
lished as  No.  XIV  of  "Contributions  to  Biology  from  the  Hopkins  Seaside  Lab- 
oratory," Palo  Alto,  1898. 

Keyes,  C.  R. — Horizons  of  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory  coals  compared 
with  those  of  other  trans-Mississippian  coals.  Engineering  and  Mining  Jour- 
nal, June  1,  1901,  Vol.  LXXI. 

Lawrence,  B. — Coal  in  Arkansas.  De  Bow's  Review,  Vol.  II,  New  Orleans, 
1851. 

McFarlane,  James. — The  coal  regions  of  America;  their  topography,  geol- 
ogy and  development,  New  York,  1873.  (General  description  of  Arkansas  coal 
fields.) 

Pumpelly,  Raphael. — Production  of  bituminous  coal  in  Johnson,  Pope,  Se- 
bastion,  and  Washington  counties.  Tenth  Census  U.  S.,  Vol.  XV. 

Purdue,   A.   H. — Coal   Mining   in    Arkansas.      Arkansas    Geol.    Surv.,    Part   I, 

Prime,  Fred,  Jr. — Notes  on  the  Arkansas  coal  field  and  statistics  of  pro- 
duction. Tenth  Census  U.  S.,  Part  II,  Vol.  V. 

Potter,  Wm.  B. — Semi-bituminous  coal  of  Johnson  county  with  analyses. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol  III  1874 
Philadelphia,  1875. 

Steel,  A.  A. — Arkansas  Geol.  Surv.,  A.   H.   Purdue,  State  Geologist,  1912. 

Savrard,  Frederick  K. — The  Coal  Trade,  1890;  Arkansas  coal  statistics  and 
analyses. 

Stevenson,  J.  J. — Anthracite  of  Arkansas.  Bulletin  of  the  Geological  So- 
ciety of  America,  Vol.  V,  Rochester,  1894. 

Tuff,  J.  A. — The  southwestern  coal  field.  Extract  from  the  22nd  Annual 
Report  of  the  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Part  III,  Washington,  1902. 

Taff,  J.  A.— The  Camden  coal  fields  of  southwestern  Arkansas,  XXI  Annual 
Report.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  part  II,  pp.  313-321),  moo. 

Wiiislow,  Arthur. — A  preliminary  report  on  a  portion  of  the  coal  region 
of  Arkansas.  Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1888  Vol  III 
map,  Little  Rock,  1888. 


Chert. 

Under  the  heading  "Road  Making  Materials"  Doctor  Branner  calls  at- 
tention to  the  value  of  the  hard,  flinty  chert  belonging  to  the  Mississippian 
series  of  the  Carboniferous  system  and  to  the  Ordovician  system  of  rocks, 
widely  distributed  in  all  the  counties  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  as  a 
material  especially  suited  for  the  building  of  highways. 

"The  chert  of  the  Boone  limestone  is  left  in  large  quantity  on  the  sur- 
face as  a  residual  product.  Under  climatic  influences  it  is  broken  up  into 
small  fragments  that  make  admirable  road  material.  In  many  places  the 
fragments  have  collected  in  enormous  quantities  as  talus  at  the  base  of  the 
slopes,  where  the  material  could  be  easily  loaded  on  wagons  with  a  steam 
shovel."— Folio  202,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 


(f) 


U.  S.  Geol.  Surv  Map   of   Arkansas   Diamond    Field. 

Diamonds. 

Four  areas  of  peridotite  (diamond-bearing  rock)  near  Murfressboro, 
Pike  county,  are  described  in  a  report  by  Hugh  D.  Miser,  (Bulletin  540 — U) 
published  by  the  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  in  1913.  One  of  these,  that  near  the  mouth 
of  Prairie  Creek,  has  been  known  to  geologists  since  1842.  The  rock  was 
not  known,  however,  to  be  peridotite  until  1889,  when  Branner  and  Brackett 
studied  and  described  the  nature  of  the  rock  and  its  geologic  relations.  It 
is  said  that  Dr.  Branner  spent  half  a  day  searching  the  surface  of  the  small 
area  for  diamond  specimens.  Not  finding  any  of  the  precious  stones  he  re- 
frained from  making  a  sensational  announcement  or  arousing  undue  hopes, 
but  published  his  discovery  in  a  conservative  report  that  at  the  time  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  scientists  more  for  its  importance  in  suggesting  the 
time  and  character  of  the  disturbing  influences,  which  about  the  close  of 
the  Cretaceous  sank  the  greater  part  of  Arkansas  beneath  the  ocean,  than 
for  its  value  in  disclosing  a  new  diamond  field.  Dr.  Branner's  extreme  cau- 
tion, displayed  in  this  matter,  was  due  no  doubt  to  his  consideration  for  the 
public  mind  which,  at  about  that  time,  had  been  disappointed  by  the  failure 
to  find  gold  in  the  same  region,  following  a  tremendous  excitement  and  the 
loss  of  many  millions  of  dollars  in  unwise  mining  ventures. 

The  first  diamonds  were  actually  found  in  1906,  seventeen  years  after  the 
visit  of  Doctor  Branner  to  the  Prairie  Creek  district.  To  John  Huddleston, 
now  of  Arkadelphia,  belongs  the  credit  of  discovering  the  first  diamonds. 
These  rough  stones  were  sent  to  a  Little  Rock  jeweler  and  were  later  cut 
by  Tiffany  in  New  York,  being  pronounced  perfect  gems,  equal  in  purity  to 
those  of  South  Africa.  Thus  the  public  came  to  know  of  the  presence  of 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  89 

diamonds  in  Arkansas.  The  lands  containing  the  deposits  were  purchased, 
the  town  of  Kimberly  was  established  and  mining  operations  were  begun 
by  several  companies. 

According  to  the  best  information  that  is  available  at  least  5000  dia- 
monds were  found  up  to  the  end  of  1919.  These  included  white,  brown  and 
yellow  stones  and  a  canary-colored  octahedron  weighing  17.85  carts  and  a 
clear  flat  stone  of  11  carats.  Only  one  company  has  operated  in  the  field 
since  1913,  and  that  upon  a  small  scale.  However,  it  is  said  that  sufficient 
diamonds  have  been  found  to  defray  the  small  maintenance  expenses.  None 
of  the  Arkansas  diamonds  are  offered  for  sale. 

Sam  W.  Reyburn  of  New  York,  President  of  t'he  Arkansas  Diamond 
Corporation,  recently  announced  that  the  necessary  capital  had  been  raised 
to  Install  a  modern  reduction  plant  and  that  operations  would  be  resumed 
by  June,  1920,  with  equipment  necessary  to  wash  100,000  tons  of  dirt  and 
determine  whether  Arkansas  has  a  real  diamond  field. 

Dr..Branner  observed  that  the  peridotite  cuts  across  the  Trinity  forma- 
tion of  lower  Cretaceous  age,  and  lately  H.  D.  Miser,  of  the  II.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  has  described  a  sedimentary  deposit  containing  pebbles  from  the 
peridotite  near  the  base  of  the  Bingen  formation  (upper  Cretaceous.)  This 
fixes  the  age  of  the  peridotite  and  probably  all  the  other  igneous  rocks  of 
Arkansas  in  the  interval  between  the  upper  and  lower  Cretaceous  periods. 

REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C.,  and  Brufkett,  Richard  3V. — The  Peridotite  of  Pike  Coun- 
ty, Arkansas.  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  XXXVIII,  1889.  The  same 
is  reproduced  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Arkansas,  for 
1890,  Vol.  II. 

Branner,  John  C. — Some  facts  and  corrections  regarding  the  diamond  re- 
gion of  Arkansas.  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal,  Vol.  LXXXVII,  New  York, 
Feb.  13,  1909. 

~~  Glenn,   L,.   C. — Arkansas   Diamond-bearing   Peridotite   Area.      Bulletin    Geol. 
Society  America,  Vol.  23,  1912. 

Kunz.  Geo.  F..  and  Washington..  Henry  S. — Diamonds  in  Arkansas.  Bi- 
monthly Bulletin  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  No.  20,  New 
York,  1908.  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal,  Aug.  10,  1907. 

Notes  of  the  forms  of  Arkansas  diamonds.  American  Journal  of  Science, 
Vol.  CLXXIV,  New  Haven,  September,  1907. 

Schneider,  P.  F. — A  preliminary  report  of  the  Arkansas  diamond  field. 
Bureau  of  Mines,  Manufactures  and  Agriculture,  16  pp.,  Little  Rock,  1907. 

Sterrett,  O.  B. — Diamonds  in  Arkansas,  Mineral  Resources  U.  S.,  for  1909, 
U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1910. 

Purdue,  A.  H.— A  new  discovery  of  peridotite  in  Arkansas.  Economic 
Geology,  Vol.  Ill,  August-September,  1918,  III. 

Fuller,  John  T. — Diamond  mine  in  Pike  County,  Arkansas.  Engineering 
and  Mining  Journal,  Vol.  LXXXVII,  New  York,  Janary  16,  1909;  Mar.  20,  1909. 

Miser,  H.  D. — New  Areas  of  diamond-bearing  peridotite  in  Arkansas.  U 
S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  540. 


Fuller's  Earth. 

While  fuller's  earth  is  now  being  produced  in  five  or  more  different 
states,  the  presence  of  this  mineral  in  the  United  States  was  first  discovered 
in  Arkansas,  near  Alexander,  and  is  mentioned  in  a  special  paper  by  Doctor 
Branner  who  made  an  analysis  from  specimens  presented  to  him  by  John 
Olsen  in  1890. 


90 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  material  was  used  for  a  time  for  the  clarifying  of  oil  in  the  plant 
of  the  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Company.  Of  this  experiment  Doctor  Branner 
says:  "This  fuller's  earth  is  the  weathered  portions  of  nearly  horizontal 
beds  of  tertiary  clays  that  come  through  the  low  hills  over  a  large  area  in 
the  region  south  and  southwest  of  Little  Rock.  According  to  the  miner's 
preconceived  notion  that  ore  must  "improve  with  depth"  it  was  expected  that 
after  the  weathered  edges  of  the  clays  had  been  passed  the  fuller's  earth 
must  likewise  improve.  I  remember  also  that  when  Mr.  Littlejohn  (manager 
of  the  oil  mill)  thought  the  earth  was  going  to  be  a  great  success,  the 
miners  began  to  congratulate  themselves  that  the  stuff  was  looking  "good 
enough  to  eat"  and  consequently  that  it  must  be  improving.  Almost  imme- 
diately Mr.  Littlejohn  reported  that  it  was  not  working  well.  To  me  the 
reason  seemed  very  clear;  the  quarymen  had  left  the  weathered  zone  behind 
and  had  entered  the  unaltered  clays." 
U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


Location   of    Fuller's    Earth    Deposits. 

In  his  report,  "The  Clays  of  Arkansas,"  Doctor  Branner  mentions  the 
Arkadelphia  shale  as  a  probable  source  of  fuller's  earth. 

Of  later  developments  in  the  mining  of  fuller's  earth  in  Arkansas,  Hugh 
D.  Miser  in  United  States  Geological  Survey  Bulletin,  530 — Q,  Developed 
Deposits  of  Fuller's  Earth  in  Arkansas,  says: 

"The  developed  deposits  of  fuller's  earth  in  Arkansas  occur  in  an  area  of 
about  three  square  miles  which  lies  between  Hot  Springs  and  Benton.  The 
Missouri  Pacific  railroad  passes  through  this  area  about  seven  miles  west 
of  Benton.  *  *  *  *  These  deposits  were  discovered  in  1897  by  John  Olsen  of 
Benton.  Mr.  Olsen  at  first  shipped  the  crude  earth  to  the  Fairbanks  Pack- 
ing Company,  St.  Louis,  by  which  it  was  milled  and  used.  He  later  erected 
at  Klondyke  station  a  plant  for  milling  the  crude  earth.  At  present  the 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  91 


other  operators  owning  plants  within  the  area  are  the  Fuller's  Earth  Union 
(Ltd.)  of  London,  England;  the  Fuller's  Earth  Company,  General,  of  Wil- 
mington, Delaware  and  Fred  Rossner,  of  Little  Rock. 

(More  recently  it  is  reported  to  the  Bureau  that  a  new  company  has 
been  formed  to  take  over  the  Olsen  interests  and  that  mining,  which  has 
been  suspended  for  some  time,  is  to  be  resumed  on  a  much  larger  scale.) 

''The  Arkansas  earth  is  used  for  bleaching  cottonseed  oil,  hog  leaf  lard, 
beef  tallow  and  stearine.  When  the  right  kind  of  crude  earth  and  the  proper 
method  of  manufacture  are  used,  a  satisfactory  earth  is  produced.  Yet 
because  of  lack  of  experience  in  this  industry  some  poor  grades  of  earth 
have  been  put  on  the  market.  The  production  of  this  inferior  earth  has 
retarded  to  some  extent  the  introduction  of  the  Arkansas  earth  to  displace 
the  English  earth,  which  is  used  mainly  by  American  cotton-oil  companies 
and  packers.  *  *  *  * 

"Arkansas  was  the  second  largest  producer  of  fuller's  earth  in  the 
United  States  from  1904  to  1907,  Florida  being  first  in  amount  of  production. 
During  1909,  1910  and  1911  Arkansas  was  third  in  output  and  value,  Florida 
being  in  first  place  and  Georgia  second.  The  amount  of  fuller's  earth  pro- 
duced in  Arkansas  in  1909  was  2,314  short  tons,  valued  at  $18,313.00;  in 
1910  it  was  2,563  short  tons,  valued  at  $29,137,00.'" 

REFERENCES. 

Middleton,  Jefferson. — Fuller's  Earth  in  1917,  U.  S.  Geol,  Surv.,  Mineral 
Resources  of  the  U.  S.,  1917,  Part  II. 

Branner,  John  C. — The  Clays  of  Arkansas,  Bulletin  351,  U.  S.   Geol.  Surv. 

Branner,  John  C. — An  Early  Discovery  of  Fuller's  Earth  in  Arkansas, 
Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining-  Engineers,  New  York,  1912. 

Miser,  H.  D. — Developed  Deposits  of  Fuller's  Earth  in  Arkansas,  Bulletin 
530— Q,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


Gas. 

See  Natural  Gas. 


" Granite"  (Syenite.) 

"The  total  area  of  igneous  rock  exposed  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
State  of  Arkansas  does  not  exceed  thirteen  or  fourteen  square  miles,  but 
the  value  of  these  rocks  as  building  and  paving  materials  gives  them  great 
economic  importance.  Their  formation  and  mode  of  occurrence  are  of 
especial  scientific  interest  on  account  of  their  relation  to  the  geologic  his- 
tory of  the  state  at  large;  while  their  relations  to  each  other  are  of  even  more 
importance  from  a  purely  petrographic  standpoint,  since  they  illustrate  the 
relative  positions  of  certain  groups  of  igneous  rocks  whose  mutual  relations 
have  been  as  yet  but  little  studied. 

"Character  of  the  Rocks: — The  igneous  rocks  of  Arkansas  all  belong  to 
the  eleolite  syenites  and,  their  associated  dike  rocks.  They  are  of  the 
abyssal  and  intrusive  classes,  as  distinguished  from  the  metamorphic 
gneisses  and  schists  and  the  true  effusives.  It  has  not  been  absolutely 
proved  that  some  of  the  rocks  did  not  form  true  eruptive  masses,  but  on 
the  other  hand  no  proof  that  they  did  occur  as  such  has  been  found,  and 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


since  their  crystalline  structure  points  to  a  non-effusive  origin,  it  may  well 
be  assumed  that  they  all  belong  to  the  abyssal  and  intrusive  rocks. 

"Geologic  and  Geographic  Position. — The  larger  masses  of  igneous  rocks 
occur  on  the  southeastern  side  of  the  much  disturbed  and  folded  area  known 
as  the  Ouachita  uplift,  which  extends  from  the  central  portion  of  the  state 
in  a  nearly  due  west  direction  to  and  across  the  Oklahoma  boundary.  The 
smaller  dikes  of  intrusive  rock  are  scattered  here  and  there  throughout  the 
eastern  half  of  the  uplift  and  appear  to  be  independent  of  the  folds  and 
ridges,  which  were  formed  long  before  the  intrusion  of  the  igneous  masses. 

"Tiie  larger  masses  of  igneous  rock  are,  however,  all  situated  in  or 
near  the  main  anticlinal  axis  of  the  uplift  and  it  is  probable  that  they  were 
forced  through  at  points,  where,  by  reason  of  the  folding,  the  strata  were 
somewhat  weakened.  It  is  probable  that  the  greater  part  of  the  erosion 
which  has  modified  the  topography  of  this  region  to  such  an  enormous 
extent  had  practically  been  completed  before  the  intrusion  of  ttie  igneous 
rocks. 

"Division  of  the  eleolite  syenites  of  Arkansas  into  areas: — The  eleolite 
syenites  were  probably  all  produced  from  one  magma,  but  since  they  occur 
in  four  well  defined  areas,  and  as  the  rocks  which  form  these  various  areas 
differ  greatly  in  their  mineralogic  independent  groups,  which  can  hardly 
be  sufficiently  correlated  with  the  others  to  allow  of  their  all  being  de- 
scribed together. 

These  four  regions  are: 

1.  The  Fourche  Mountain  or  Pulaski  county  region. 

2.  The  Saline  county  region. 

3.  The  Magnet  Cove  region. 

4.  The  Potash  Sulphur  Springs  region. 

"Outside  of  these  four  typical  regions  there  are  many  dikes  of  igneous 
rock  whic'h  as  far  as  their  petrographic  characteristics  are  concerned  might 
be  associated,  as  well  with  one  group  as  with  another,  and  which  are,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  probably  directly  connected  with  none  of  them,  although 
formed  from  the  same  magma  from  which  they  all  derived  their  material. 

"The  differences  in  structure  and  mineralogic  composition  observed  in 
the  rocks  of  the  four  regions  are  due  to  differentiations  in  the  original 
magma  from  which  they  were  formed,  and  are  attributable  in  many  cases 
directly  to  the  conditions  under  which  they  solidified. — Report  Arkansas 
Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  II,  1891. 

(In  addition  to  the  masses  described  by  Williams  there  are  four  masses 
of  peridotite  near  Murfreesboro,  Pike  County,  together  with  a  r.umber  of 
related  dikes.  A  study  of  these  masses  has  proved  that  these  igneous  rocks 
of  Arkansas  were  all  probably  formed  during  the  land  interval  separating  the 
upper  and  lower  Cretaceous  periods.) 

REFERENCES. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1890, 
Vol.  II,  The  igneus  rocks  of  Arkansas,  by  J.  Francis  Williams,  Little  Rock, 
1891. 

Washington,  H.  S. — The  igneous  complex  of  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  Ab- 
stract, Science,  March  16,  1900,  Vol.  XI,  Bulletin  Geological  Society  of  Amer- 
ica. Vol.  XI,  Rochester,  1900.  Review,  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  XXXV,  May 
1901.  Levlew,  Technology  Quarterly,  Vol.  VII. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  93 


Glass  Sand. 

Since  the  establishment  of  glass  factories  at  Fort  Smith  and  Texar- 
kana,  where  these  industries  have  access  to  natural  gas,  the  cheapest  and 
best  of  fuels,  a  more  convenient  market  is  afforded  for  the  valuable  glass 
sands  of  the  state.  It  is  said  that  the  Fort  Smith  plant  uses  1,000  tons  of 
sand  a  month  and  that  the  Arkansas  sands  are  preferred,  but  because  of  an 
inability  to  get  cars  for  the  shorter  'haul  the  material  at  present  is  brought 
from  Pacific,  Missouri. 

The  glass  sands  of  the  saccharodial  sandstone,  (St.  Peter)  quarried  at 
Guion,  Izard  County,  are  probably  the  purest  and  most  extensive  in  the  state. 
This  sand  is  so  pure  that  it  is  not  even  stained.  It  is  quite  as  good  as  -the 
best  glass  sands  of  Missouri,  but  is  of  finer  grain. 

Glass  sands  are  found  in  the  St.  Peter  sandstone  in  north  Arkansas 
from  Batesville  to  Fayetteville. 

At  Whitlock  Spur,  near  Bryant,  Saline  County,  there  is  an  extensive 
deposit  of  high  grade  glass  sand. 

Purdue  says:  "The  novaculite  of  the  Ouachita  Mountains  probably 
would  produce  glass  of  fine  quality." 

A  deposit  of  glass  sand  is  reported  in  Jefferson  County  near  Pine  Bluff. 

With  reference  to  the  glass  sands  of  Crowley's  Ridse.  in  Gr^en*  Conntv. 
the  following  is  quoted  from  the  report  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey, 
Vol.  II,  1889: 

"The  sand  is  white.  *  *  *  it  would  make  an  excellent  bottle  glass 
sand,  or  even  the  cheaper  grades  of  window  glass  could  be  made  from  it. 
Its  product  would  -be  green  in  color,  but  less  deep  than  the  common  green 
bottle  glass,  owing  to  the  small  amount  of  iron  present.  With  soda  and  lime 
added  it  would  make  a  fairly  good  window  glass." 

REFERENCES. 

Burchard,  E.  F. — Glass  Sands  of  the  Middle  Mississippi  Basin,  Bulletin  No. 
285,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


Gravel. 

(See  Roadmaking  Materials.) 

Several  thick  deposits  of  gravel  are  widely  distributed  along  the  north 
edge  of  the  Gulf  Costal  Plain.  The  gravels  are  of  Lower  Cretaceous,  Upper 
Cretaceous  and  Quarternary  age  and  are  composed  mainly  of  pebbles  of 
novaculite  (a  variety  of  chert)  derived  from  the  Arkansas  novaculite  ex- 
posed in  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region.  They  are  used  in  making  concrete, 
in  ballasting  railroads  and  in  the  construction  of  wagon  roads.  The  Pike 
gravel  is  the  thickest  and  most  persistent  gravel  bed  in  the  area  and  has  a 
larger  surface  distribution  than  any  other.  The  thickness  is  rattier  uni- 
form, being  in  most  places  between  20  and  50  feet,  but  it  apparently  attains 
100  feet  near  Pike.  This  gravel  consists  of  pebbles  usually  less  than  half 
an  inch  in  diameter  but  it  contains  many  larger  ones  and  also  many  cobbles 
as  much  as  ten  inches  in  diameter.  These  pebbles  'have  not  been  used  in 
tube  mills,  ,but  they  are  of  such  a  character  that  it  is  believed  well  selected 
pebbles  may  be  suited  for  this  purpose. 


94  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Crowley's   Ridge    Gravels. 

The  gravel  beds  of  Crowley's  Ridge  in  northeast  Arkansas  are  of  varying 
thickness,  being  deposited  on  a  surface  which  indicates  very  considerable 
erosion  at  a  period  prior  to  their  deposition.  The  gravels  are  made  up  mainly 
of  a  light-colored  chert,  are  generally  well  rounded  or  waterworn,  rarely 
angular  and  always  well  polished.  When  in  place  they  are  always  rudely 
assorted,  cross-bedded  and  mingled  with  more  or  less  sand.  The  gravel  is 
considerably  above  the  general  level  of  the  country,  reaching  often  to  the 
very  tops  of  the  highest  hills.  Deposits  occur  at  various  points  along  the 
ridge  from  the  Missouri  border  to  Helena. 

Arkansas    River    Gravels. 

In  the  bed  of  the  Arkansas  River  throughout  its  course  in  Arkansas  and 
in  the  beds  of  many  of  its  tributaries,  are  gravel  bars  containing  larger 
quantities  of  material  suitable  for  road-building. 

Gravels   on   the    Higher    Ridges 

On  the  higher  hills  about  Little  Rock  and  northwest  of  that  city  are 
quantities  of  surface  gravel.  Similar  ridges  occur  in  Saline,  Grant  and 
Dallas  counties  and  in  other  parts  of  southwest  Arkansas. 

"Gravels  (road  metal).  Along  Crowley's  Ridge,  in  Clay,  Green,  Craig- 
head,  Poinsett,  Cross,  and  St.  Francis  counties.  On  and  near  the  border  of 
the  highlands  in  Randolph,  Lawrence,  Independence,  Jackson,  White,  Pulaski, 
Saline,  Hot  Spring  and  Clark  counties,  and  in  Bradley,  Calhoun,  Dallas, 
Drew,  Howard,  Jefferson,  Lafayette,  Pike  and  Sevier  counties.  These  gravels 
consist  almost  entirely  of  chert,  quartz  and  novaculite  pebbles  and  range 
in  age  from  Lower  Cretaceous  to  Quarternary." — Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv. 

REFERENCES. 

>Ii,ser,  H.  D.,  niul  Purdue.  A.  II. — Gravel  Deposits  of  the  Caddo  Gap  and 
De  Queen  Quadrangles,  Arkansas,  r.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  690 — B. 

Hraiiiu'r,  John  C. — Crowley's  Ridge,  Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geological 
Survey,  Vol.  II,  1889. 

— .      Load-Making    Materials    of    Arkansas,    published    elsewhere 
in    this   volume. 


Graphite. 

Graphite  is  abundant  and  pure  in  many  localities  in  the  Trap  Mountains 
in  Hot  Spring  County.  It  occurs  also  in  the  form  of  graphitic  shale  in 
Garland  and  Montgomery  counties.  Some  of  this  material  is  of  excellent 
quality,  while  some  of  it  occurs  in  streaks  of  pockets  only,  and  much  is 
mixed  with  earthy  matter.  The  impure  varieties  are  available  for  paints. 

Purdue  says:  "Possibly  the  most  promising  outcrop  is  in  the  bed  of 
Collier  Creek  at  Buttermilk  Springs,  northeast  of  Caddo  Gap  in  Mont- 
gomery County. 


Gypsum. 

"The  Trinity  formation  (of  southwest  Arkansas)  is  rich  in  gypsum  and 
gypsiferous  marls  .the  latter  too  impure  for  the  arts,  but  suitable  for  an  agri- 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  95 


cultural  fertilizer  or  land  plaster.  At  the  gypsum  bluff,  or  "Plaster  Bluff," 
as  it  is  familiarly  called,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Murfreesboro,  in 
Pike  County,  there  are  strata  of  pure  saccharoidal  alabaster,  from  6  inches 
to  6  feet  in  thickness,  with  seams  of  satin  spar.  This  gypsum  is  sufficiently 
pure  to  make  plaster  of  paris,  as  well  as  fertilizer,  and  will  no  doubt  be  a 
source  of  much  wealth  to  the  country  some  day.  The  same  geologic  horizon 
as  that  contained  the  gypsum  beds  on  Little  Missouri  River  outcrops  spar- 
ingly at  many  points  along  the  southern  scarp  of  the  Fort  Towson  road 
valley.'' — Report  Arkansas  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  II,  1888. 

Prof.  A.  H.  Purdue  mentions  the  presence  of  gypsum  on  Messers  Creek, 
north  of  Center  Point,  in  Howard  County. 

Gypsum,  or  "satin  spar,"  occurs  in  broad  crystals,  fibrous  and  earthy, 
in  the  zinc  and  lead  districts  of  north  Arkansas.  This  mineral  also  faas 
been  observed  in  parts  of  Saline  County  where  pyrite  and  limestone  are 
found. 

REFERENCES. 

Hill,  Robt.  T. — The  Neozoic  Geology  of  Arkansas,  Vol.  II,  Report,  Geological 
Survey  of  Arkansas,  1888. 

Branner,  J.  C. — Report  Arkansas  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  V,  1892. 


Lignite. 

Camden,  or  Ouachita    Deposit. 

Extending  northwestward  from  Camden,  is  a  small  area  of  typical  brown 
subcannel  coal,  which  'has  been  tested  for  oil  and  gas  production  with  very 
favorable  results.  The  coal  bed  had  been  traced  from  about  2  miles  northwest 
of  Camden  for  13  miles  to  the  northwest  and  has  been  opened  and  mined  in  a 
small  way  at  a  number  of  places.  The  coal  ranges  from  3  to  6  feet  in 
thickness. 

Physically  the  Camden  coal,  as  it  comes  from  the  mine  is  brownish 
black  and  compact  and  has  a  generally  uniform  even  texture  and  structure. 
Occasonally  fragments  of  lignite  with  clearly  marked  woody  structure  may 
be  seen.  It  has  an  uneven  conchoidal  fracture.  It  is  soft  but  not  friable, 
that  is,  it  may  be  easily  mined  with  the  pick  and  may  be  cut  with  a  knife 
as  readily  as  compact  dry  clay,  but  will  not  crumble  between  the  fingers. 
When  cut  or  scratched  with  a  knife  it  shows  a  shiny  or  oily  streak.  Upon 
being  exposed  to  dry  air,  the  coal  contracts  and  cracks  both  along  the  bed- 
ding and  at  right  angles  to  it  so  that  fragments  may  be  broken  by  the  hand, 
but  the  mass  does  not  fall  to  pieces.  The  coal  is  then  blacker  and  harder 
than  when  fresh  and  the  streak  or  powder  is  more  nearly  black.  On  being 
exposed  for  a  sfaort  time  to  the  repeated  action  of  rain,  dew,  and  snow, 
however,  it  will  disintegrate  into  small  particles. 

From  this  description  the  coal  is  evidently  of  lignite  rank,  but  so  far  as 
tested  it  appears  to  give  a 'higher  candlepower  gas  than  other  lignites. 
Chemically,  as  shown  by  the  analyses  it  contains  from  32  to  38  per  cent  of 
water  when  fresh.  In  dry  air  the  moisture  will  be  reduced  to  9  to  11  per 
cent,  but  this  will  be  reincreased  to  20  to  22  ^  per  cent  if  the  coal  is  sub- 
mitted to  saturated  air.  The  volatile  matter  in  the  fresh  coal  is  32  to  36 
per  cent  and  44  to  46  per  cent  in  the  air-dried  coal;  and  the  fixed  carbon  in 


S6  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


the  fresh  coal  is  17  to  23  per  cent  in  the  air-dried  coal.  The  ash  remains 
from  7.5  to  11  per  cent  in  the  fresh  coal  and  and  sulphur  0.5  per  cent  or 
less  in  the  fresh  material. 

This  coal  was  tested  by  the  Pittsburgh  Testing  Laboratory.  The  aver- 
age result  of  10  tests,  at  a  temperature  of  1,800  to  2,000  degrees  F.,  was  .a 
yield  of  11.386  cubic  feet  of  22.3  candlepower  gas. 

David  White,  who  visited  the  field,  described  as  follows  the  two  stills 
that  were  in  operation: 

The  commercial  utilization  of  t'lie  lignite  from  the  Camden  field  is  some- 
what unique,  for  although  it  is  employed  to  a  limited  extent  for  local  steam- 
boiler  fuel  and  on  the  locomotives  of  the  branch  railroads  coming  to  the 
sawmills  and  mines  about  Lester,  the  principal  use  of  the  coal  appears  to 
be  for  its  distillation  products.  The  best  massive  brown  lignite,  essen- 
tially "amorphous"  and  free  from  bedding,  is  that  most  sought  for  distil- 
lation. Such  lignite  is  said  to  yield  as  high  as  38  gallons  of  oil  per  ton, 
though  the  average  oil  production  from  the  lignite  as  it  is  mined  and  distilled 
approximates  25  gallons  per  ton.  Occasionally  lignite  which  yields  as  low  as 
10  gallons  per  ton  is  dug  at  some  of  the  mines  in  the  field.  At  t'iie  time  of 
the  field  examinations  of  the  fuel  by  the  writer  the  methods  of  distillation 
were  still  in  an  experimental  stage.  A  small  distillery  or  "oil  mill"  was  in 
operation  at  the  town  of  Camden  and  another  one  near  Lester.  The  former 
had  seven  horizontal  retorts,  whereas  the  latter  had  only  five  in  an  inclined 
position  and  farther  above  the  grate.  The  Lester  mill  had  a  capacity  of  two 
tons  in  24  hours.  For  three  or  four  hours  the  lignite  in  the  retort  was  sub- 
jected for  a  time  to  a  temperature  of  about  400  degrees  after  which  it  was 
advanced  for  a  time  to  a  temperature  of  about  700  degrees  and  finally  to  1,200 
or  1.300  degrees  F.,  eight  or  nine  hours  being  required  for  the  complete 
run.  Some  of  the  oil  is  given  off  at  a  temperature  of  about  400  degrees  F., 
different  oils  being  yielded  at  different  temperatures,  those  distilling  later 
at  the  higher  temperatures  being  regarded  as  best.  Likewise,  the  higher 
temperatures  appear  to  yield  by-products  more  tarlike  and  differing  in 
other  respects.  The  brown  canneloid  is  said  to  yield  a  lighter-colored  oil. 

The  distillates  are  said  to  be  used  in  the  rubber  industry,  in  soap  mak- 
ing, in  paints,  and  in  various  proprietary  preparations.  The  residual  cinder 
can  hardly  be  called  coke,  although  often  on  withdrawing  the  charge  there 
appears  to  be  a  recondensation  at  the  back  end  of  the  retort  which  results 
in  small  pieces  of  completely  fused  coke,  silvery  in  luster  and  stalactytic 
in  sculpture,  though  spongy  and  friable.  The  higher  grade  carbon  or  cinder 
derived  from  the  more  typical  canneloid  lignite,  after  having  been  ground  at 
the  mill,  has  been  shipped  to  one  of  the  eastern  cities,  where  it  was  experi- 
mentally tried  in  the  manufacture  of  paint.  The  small  pieces  of  wood  and 
stem  are  occasionally  found  with  structure  preserved,  as  charcoal  among 
the  lumps  of  lignitic  cinder. 

Lignite    of    Crowley's    Ridge. 

The  lignites  of  the  Crowley's  Ridge  region  are  all  of  Tertiary  age.  *  *  * 
They  occur  in  the  form  of  outcrops  along  the  streams  and  in  gullies  with  an 
occasional  bed  appearing  in  wells.  The  thickness  of  these  lignite  beds  is 
exceedingly  variable.  Usually  they  are  less  than  five  feet  thick,  though 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  97 


the  Bolivar  Creek  beds  in  Poinsett  County  are  seven  feet  or  more  in 
thickness.  It  is  also  noticeable  that  the  vertical  distribution  of  the  several 
beds  is  irregular,  some  of  them  occurring  hig'h.  up  in  the  hills,  while  others 
are  at  their  base  or  below  it.  So  far  as  traced  all  these  beds  are  independ- 
ent of  each  other,  having  been  formed  at  different  times,  and  they  are  gen- 
erally in  lenticular  shapes,  most  of  which  cover  but  a  few  acres  and  many 
of  them  but  a  few  hundred  square  yards.  Their  chemical  analyses  show 
I'hat  the  Bolivar  Creek  and  the  Clay  County  lignites  are  the  best.  The 
poorest  is  that  found  in  St.  Francis  County,  4  N.,  4  E.,  on  section  26.  This 
latter  has  been  analysed  with  the  following  result: 

Water    : 10.215  per  cent 

Volatile  Matter 40.70      " 

Fixed  Carbon 21.50 

Ash  (gray)  25.65 

Sulphur 2.00      " 

The  analysis  shows  it  to  have  but  little  or  no  value  for  commercial 
purposes. — Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  II,  T889. 

Linnite    Elsewhere. 

Tertiary  lignites  occur  in  most  of  the  counties  of  southern  Arkansas. 
Probably  the  deposits  nearest  approaching  in  value  those  of  the  Camden 
district  are  in  Pike  and  Clark  counties,  but  no  use  has  yet  been  made  of 
this  fuel.  The  location  of  the  lignite  is  more  interesting  as  indicating  the 
character  of  the  associated  clays. 

REFERENCES. 

Taflf,  J.  A. — Preliminary  report  on  the  Camden  coal  field  of  southwestern 
Arkansas.  Twenty-first  Annual  Report  of  the  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  1899-1900, 
Tart  II,  Washington,  1900. 

Britton,  J.  Blod^ett. — Lignite  near  Camden,  along  the  Ouachita  River. 
Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  Vol.  I,  New 
York,  1872. 

Ashley,  Cieo.  H. — Cannel  coal  in  the  United  States,  .U  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bull. 
659.  1918. 

Brnnner,  John  ('. — Clays  of  Arkansas.     U.   S.   Geol.    Surv.,  Bull.   351,   1908. 


Limestone  For  Lime. 

(Extracts  from  Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  IV, 
1893,  by  T.  C.  Hopkins.) 

In  spite  of  the  abundance  of  limestone  in  Arkansas  suitable  for  lime 
burning,  the  state  imports  lime  instead  of  exporting  it.  As  the  limestone 
region  of  north  Arkansas  becomes  traversed  by  railways  the  burning  of  lime 
s'nould  become  one  of  the  most  important  industries.  There  are  limestones 
in  the  Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  areas  of  the  central  and  southwestern  por- 
tions of  the  state,  yet  the  Paleozoic  limestones  of  the  north  part  of  the 
state  are  so  superior  for  lime  burning  that  it  is  to  them  the  state  must  look 
for  its  lime  supply.  The  dhalk  beds  will  no  doubt  become  valuable  in  the 
manufacture  of  Portland  cement,  but  for  common  lime  it  cannot  compete 
with  the  Paleozoic  limestones. 

While  in  north  Arkansas  there  are  not  less  than  seven  distinct  beds  of 
limestone  persistent  over  large  areas,  and  others  of  more  limited  extent,  it 


98  OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

is  noteworthy  that  nearly  all  the  lime  that  has  been  burnt  has  come  from  a 
single  bed — the  limestone  in  the  Boone  Chert.  It  has  a  greater  areal 
extent  than  any  of  the  other  beds,  yet  others  of  large  extent  would  make 
equally  as  good  lime. 

Following  is  the  analysis  of  limestone  from  the  Boone  chert  formation 
in  Independence  County: 

Per  Cent. 

Carbonate  of  Lime  98.43 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia  95 

Insoluble  Residue  28 

Without  taking  into  account  the  proximity  to  transportation,  the  dif- 
ferent beds  of  limestone  considered  solely  in  the  light  of  their  value  for 
making  lime,  would  rank  about  as  follows: 

First,  Izard  limestone. 
Second,  Boone  chert  limestone. 
Third,  St.  Joe  marble. 
Fourth,  St.  Clair  marble. 
Fifth,  Archimedes  limestone. 
Sixth,  Pentremital  limestone. 
Seventh,  Magnesian  limestone. 

Besides  these  there  are  local  occurrences  of  good  limestone  among  the 
magnesian  beds  in  the  Silurian. 

The  advantage  for  lime  burning  of  the  Izard  limestone  over  the  Boone 
Chert  is  the  ease  with  which  it  is  broken,  its  freedom  from  chert  and  the 
greater  ease  of  burning. 

The  St.  Joe  marble  is  properly  a  part  of  the  Boone  chert  series  but  it 
differs  essentially  from  the  gray  limestone  higher  in  the  series  in  being 
more  compact  and  crystalline  and  in  requiring  more  burning  to  reduce  it. 

The  St.  Clair  marble  makes  a  pure  lime,  but  its  toughness  makes  it 
expensive  to  prepare  for  the  kiln  and  its  hig«her  crystallization  makes  it 
hard  to  burn. 

The  Archimedes  and  Pentremital  limestones  are  often  too  impure  to 
make  a  valuable  building  lime,  yet  in  many  places  a  good  lime  can  be  ob- 
tained from  them,  and  in  nearly  all  places  they  would  make  a  lime  good 
for  fertilizing. 

It  is  difficult  to  compare  the  magnesian  limestone  with  the  others  as 
its  value  depends  on  whether  a  magnesian  lime  is  wanted. 

A  good  stone  for  lime  occurs  locally  in  the  Silurian  rocks,  notably  on 
Clear  Creek,  Searcy  County,  and  at  various  points  in  Marion  County. 

Carboniferous  Limestones. 

The  limestones  on  the  south  side  of  Boston  Mountains  have  the  same 
lithologic  characteristics  as  those  on  the  north,  with  the  possible  exception 
that  they  seem  to  be  somewhat  more  siliceous.  In  some  cases  they  thin 
out  southward.  It  is  quite  apparent,  from  their  relation  to  the  overlying 
rocks,  from  a  casual  examination  of  their  fossils  and  from  their  lithologic 
characters,  that  their  occurrences  south  of  the  mountains  is  a  continuation 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  99 


of  the  beds  which  outcrop  on  the  north  side,  and  described  as  the  Kessler, 
Pentremital  and  Archimedes  limestones.  For  the  most  part  limestone  occurs 
south  of  the  principal  range  of  Boston  Mountains  only  in  the  deepest  valleys 
and  ravines,  where  the  streams  have  eroded  the  overlying  shales  and  sand- 
stones, leaving  the  underlying  strata  exposed. 

Trinity  Limestones. 

In  the  southwest  part  of  this  state,  in  Pike,  Howard  and  Sevier  counties, 
along  the  northern  border  of  the  Lower  Cretaceous  area,  is  an  outcrop  of 
limestone  designated  by  Prof.  Robt  .Hill  of  the  Survey  as  the  Trinity  lime- 
stone, and  described  by  him  as  follows:  "In  general  it  is  a  series  of  cal- 
careous, gypsiferous,  argillaceous  sands,  alternating  with  numerous  thin 
strata  of  firm  yellow  crystalline  bands  of  limestone,  which  vary  from  one 
inch  to  one  foot  in  thickness." 

Tertiary   Limestones. 

As  compared  with  those  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous,  the  Tertiary  lime- 
stones of  the  state  are  of  but  little  importance.  Their  location,  however, 
sometimes  give  them  local  value.  Gilbert  D.  Harris,  Assistant  State 
Geologist,  mentions  their  occurrence  as  follows: 

"T'he  few  exposures  that  are  known  are  chiefly  confined  to  the  western 
border  of  the  Tertiary  area.  At  Grand  Glaise  in  Jackson  County  fossilferous 
Tertiary  limestones  with  some  arenaceous  layers  are  exposed  in  beds 
about  50  feet  thick  a  few  rods  south  of  the  railway  station.  Limestone 
ledges  outcrop  at  Russell  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway.  At 
Little  Rock  Tertiary  limestone  is  found  in  sinking  wells  on  Capitol  Hill. 

Ouachita    Mountain    Region. 

Some  curbstones  have  been  quarried  from  limestone  beds  in  the  nova- 
culite  area,  nine  miles  northwest  of  Hot  Springs  and  lime  has  been  burned  at 
the  same  locality.  A  black  crystalline  limestons  in  lenticular  masses,  six 
to  eight  inches  thick,  is  reported  to  occur  at  fifteen  miles  west  of  Little 
Rock.  This  and  the  limestones  of  the  novaculite  area  of  the  state  are  all 
of  Ordovician  age.  In  Magnet  Cove,  Hot  Spring  County,  there  are  sev- 
eral outcrops  of  a  coarsely  crystalline  limestone  which  forms  in  one  place 
a  bluff  20  to  30  feet  high. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  while  limestone  is  widely  distributed  in  the 
state,  all  that  is  suitable  for  building  purposes  occurs  north  of  the  Boston 
Mountains,  and  all  the  rocks  of  any  considerable  importance  for  lime- 
burning  occur  in  the  same  place.  The  chalk  beds  of  southwestern  Arkan- 
sas are  the  only  lime  deposits  south  of  the  Boston  Mountains  which  are 
likely  to  have  any  great  commercial  value. 

REFERENCES. 

Rranner,  John  C. — Value  of  lime  as  a  fertilizer  and  discussion  of  deposits 
at  "White  Cliffs.  Arkansas  Geol.  Surv.  of  1888,  Vol.  II. 

Hopkins,  T.  C — Lime  Industry  of  Arkansas.  Annual  Report,  Arkansas 
Geol.  Surv.,  1890,  Vol.  IV,  Little  Rock,  1893. 

Means,  J.  H. — Carboniferous  limestones  on  the  south  side  of  the  Boston 
Mountains.  Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.,  of  Arkansas  for  1890  Vol  IV 
Little  Rock,  1893. 

Harris,  Gilbert  D..,  Assistant  Geologist. — Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geol. 
Surv.  for  18!»2.  Vol.  II. 


UNIVERSITY 


\> 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  101 

Limestone — Building. 

(See  Marbles.) 

"The  marbles  and  limestones  belong  to  the  Mississippian  and  Pennsyl- 
vanian  series  of  the  Carboniferous  system  and  to  the  Ordovician  and  Silu- 
rian systems  of  rocks.  Gray  (Boone  limestone),  finest  quality  in  Boone, 
Marion,  Newton  and  Searcy  counties;  coarsely  crystalline;  good  polish. 
St.  Glair,  light  gray  to  chocolate  brown,  highly  crystalline,  from .  Independ- 
ence County  to  Newton  County;  valuable  building  stone.  St.  Joe,  widely 
distributed  in  nort'h  Arkansas,  length  of  outcrop  is  about  3500  miles;  light 
pink  to  dark  chocolate,  spotted  white,  gray  or  pea  green,  varies  In  texture; 
small  quarry  at  St.  Joe. 

Benton  County,  quarried  at  Monte  Ne  and  Gravette. 

Boone  County,  at  Alpena  and  Keener. 

Carroll  County,  limestone  quarried  at  Eureka  Springs;  dolomite  at 
Beaver. 

Independence  County,  ornamental  limestone  is  quarried  at  Pfeiffer,  near 
Batesville. 

Izard  County,  quarried  at  Guion. 

Lawrence  County,  at  Imboden  for  building  and  crushed  stone. 

Sharp  County,  at  Williford. 

Washington  County,  at  Johnson. — Bulletin  624,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 

REFERENCES. 
Brainier,  John  C. — Report  Arkansas  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  IV,  1890. 


Marbles. 

(See  Limestone,  Onyx,  Sandstone.) 

"The  marble  region  of  Arkansas  is  in  the  north  and  northwest  part  of 
the  state.  It  includes  Marion,  Boone,  Benton,  and  parts  of  Independence, 
Izard,  Stone,  Baxter,  Searcy,  Newton,  Madison  and  Washington  counties, 
and  extends  north  into  the  State  of  Missouri. 

"The  entire  region  is  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  portions  of  Washington  and  Benton  counties  is  in  the  upper  White 
River  Valley.  It  is  commonly  known  as  North  Arkansas,  the  Boston  Moun- 
tains forming  a  natural  barrier  between  it  and  the  remainder  of  the  state 
on  the  south,  while  the  flood-plains  of  the  Black  River  bound  it  on  the  east. 

"Comparatively  little  work  has  been  done  to  develop  the  marbles  and 
bring  tSiem  into  the  market.  Probably  the  first  piece  of  marble  shipped  out 
of  the  state  was  the  one  sent  to  the  Washington  Monument  in  1836,  the 
year  in  which  the  state  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  The  block,  weighing 
9,000  pounds,  was  taken  from  near  Marble  City,  Newton  County,  tSien  known 
as  Beller's  Mill.  It  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Beller  and  Elijah,  Samuel  and 
William  Harp.  By  drilling  and  wedging  they  separated  the  block  from  a 
ledge  four  feet  thick.  It  was  then  put  on  a  log  wagon  and  with  ten  yoke 
of  cattle  these  four  men  took  the  stone  a  distance  of  60  miles  or  more  over 
exceedingly  rough  and  tortuous  roads  across  the  Boston  Mountains  to  the 
Arkansas  River  near.  Clarksville,  w'hence  it  was  shipped  by  boat. 


102-  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

(The  exterior  walls  of  the  New  State  Capitol  at  Little  Rock  were  con- 
structed of  Batesville  marble,  quarried  at  Pf eiffer. ) 

"The  marbles  of  Arkansas  all  belong  to  the  list  of  colored  marbles; 
although  some  of  them  are  very  light  colored,  all  are  more  or  less  stained 
with  metallic  oxides  or  with  carbonaceous  matter.  On  a  stratigraphic  basis 
all  the  numerous  varieties  of  marbles  in  Arkansas  are,  with  very  few  excep- 
tions, included  in  three  classes:  The  St.  Clair;  the  St.  Joe;  and  the  gray 
marble  of  the  Boone  chert  formation.  The  first  of  these,  the  St.  Clair 
marble,  occurs  over  the  eastern  and  south  central  part  of  tfne  area,  and  is  of 
Silurian  age.  The  St.  Joe  and  gray  marbles,  occurring  over  the  entire  area, 
are  at  the  base  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  rocks.  The  few  varieties  which 
do  not  occur  in  any  of  these  classes  are  the  black,  yellow,  "onyx,"  and 
Archimedes  marbles." — Annual  Report,  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol. 
IV.  1890,  by  T.  C.  Hopkins;  John  C.  Branner,  State  Geologist. 

Purdue  says:  "Marble  of  red,  gray  and  pink  colors  outcrop  at  numerous 
places  along  White  River  and  its  tributaries.  Black  marble  occurs  near 
Marshall,  Searcy  County,  and  Jamestown,  Independence  County. 

REFERENCES. 

Brainier.  John  c.  Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1890, 
Vol.  IV,  Marbles  and  other  limestones,  by  T.  C.  Hopkins,  Little  Rock,  1893. 

The  building"  stones  of  Arkansas,  by  John  C.  Branner.  Stone  Vol  II 
Indianapolis,  October,  188!). 

HopkiiiN  T.  r. — Topographic  features  of  Arkansas  marble.  Proceedings 
of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  Vol  XXXIX 
Salem,  1891. 

Anonymous. — Batesville  oolitic  marble.  Stone,  Vol.  XXIX  pp  345-346 
Illustrated.  .\>\v  York.  January.  1909. 


Novaculite  (Whetstones.) 

The  Arkansas  stone  is  a  true  novaculite,  satisfying  all  the  necessary 
conditions  regarding  homogeneity,  grittiness,  finely  granular  structure  and 
siliceous  composition;  it  is  translucent  on  the  edges  and  has  a  marked 
conchoidal  fracture.  It  occurs  associated  with  shales  into  which  it  grades 
through  opaque  flinty  layers.  It  is  the  only  true  novaculite  quarried  in 
quantity  in  this  country. 

Novaculite  is  very  like  chert,  both  in  composition  and  in  its  behavior 
as  a  road-making  material.  It  occurs  only  in  the  hilly  region  lying  south  of 
the  Coal  Measures,  where  it  forms  the  Zigzag  Mountains  about  Hot  Springs 
and  tiie  great  Ouachita  Mountain  system  south  of  the  Ouachita  River,  ex- 
tending from  Rockport,  Hot  Spring  County,  nearly  to  Oklahoma,  west  of 
Dallas,  Polk  County. 

REFERENCES. 

Brainier.  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1890, 
Vol.  III.  Whetstones  and  the  novaculites  of  Arkansas,  by  L.  S.  Griswold, 
Little  Rock..  1892. 

Branner.  John  ('.  and  Derby,  O.  A. — On  the  origin  of  certain  silicious 
rocks  (novaculites).  Journal  of  Geology,  1898,  Vol.  VI. 

(iris\vold.  L.  S.-  Indian  quarries  in  Arkansas.  Proceedings  Boston  So- 
ciety of  Natural  History,  Vol.  XXVI,  Boston,  1895. 

Hull.  Edward. — Origin  of  novaculites  of  Arkansas.  Quarterly  Journal  of 
the  Geological  Society  of  London.  Vol.  I,  London,  1894. 

Rutley,  Frank. — On  the  origin  of  certain  novaculites  and  quartzites. 
Quar.  Jour.  Geol.  Soc.,  Vol.  1,  London,  1894.  Abstract  American  Geologist, 
Vol.  XIV. 

Suttoii,  J.  J.-  Oilstones.  Third  Biennial  Report  from  the  Bureau  of  Mines, 
Manufactures  and  Agriculture  of  Arkansas  for  1893-1894. 


Burning   Gas  Well  in  the   Fort  Smith    District 


104  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

Oil  and  Gas  Geology  as  Viewed  by 
Dr.  John  C.  Branner. 

There  are  two  and  possibly  three  geologic  areas  in  the  State  of  Arkansas 
in  whic'h  petroleum  and  natural  gas  may  reasonably  be  expected.  One  of  these 
fields,  that  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  is  already  known,  in  part,  at 
least;  another  is  the  eastern  and  south-eastern  part  of  the  State,  while  the 
third  is  probably  unsuspected  and  may  be  omitted  for  the  present.  The  gas 
fields  about  Fort  Smith  are  geologically  a  part  of  the  oil  and  gas  fields  of 
Oklahoma,  while  the  extension  of  the  geology  of  Northern  Louisiana  into 
southeastern  Arkansas  naturally  leads  to  the  inference  that  that  part  of  the 
state  may  likewise  contain  oil  and  gas.  In  the  Carboniferous  area  of  western 
Arkansas  the  geology  is  open  to  direct,  inspection,  and  the  structure  can  be 
worked  out  satisfactorily  and  in  detail,  so  that  there  need  be  no  doubt  about 
where  the  wells  should  be  located  or  what  rocks  may  reasonably  be  expected 
at  various  depths. 

In  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state,  however,  the  geology  in  its  relation 
to  oil  and  natural  gas,  is  of  a  very  different  type,  is  much  more  'difficult  to 
deal  with  and  can  be  successfully  handled  only  by  geologists  and  paleonto- 
logists of  thorough  training. 

The  nature  of  the  problem  that  contronts  the  geologist  in  southern  and 
eastern  Arkansas  can  be  readily  understood  from  a  brief  statement  of 
the  history  of  the  whole  region. 

In  Cretaceous  times  Fait  water  covered  all  of  eastern  Texas,  all  of  Louis- 
iana and  Mississippi,  and  extended  as  far  north  as  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio 
River.  The  western  shore  of  this  body  of  water  was  a  little  west  of  the 
line  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway  from  where  it  enters  the  state  of  Ar- 
kansas on  the  north,  to  Arkadelphia.  and  from  there  it  ran  nearly  due  west 
to  the  Oklahoma  line  at  Ultima  Thule. 

All  of  Arkansas  east  and  south  of  that  shore  line  was  beneath  this 
great  open  bay,  and  the  mud  and  sediments  washed  down  by  streams  and 
the  remains  of  animals  and  plants  living  in  those  waters  sank  and  spread 
over  the  sea  bottom  and  gradually  built  up  the  sandstones,  limestones  and 
clays  that  form  what  are  now  known  as  the  Cretaceous  rocks.  Later,  during 
Tertiary  times,  the  waters  became  shallower,  and  the  Tertiary  sands  and 
clays  were  deposited  on  top  of  the  Cretaceous  beds.  Finally  the  whole  area 
was  raised  far  enough  to  cause  the  salt  water  to  withdraw  entirely  from  the 
northern  part  of  this  ancient  bay  region.  As  soon  as  the  sediments  were 
lifted  from  beneath  the  water,  streams  began  to  cut  gullies  and  to  wash  away 
the  upper  beds;  and  this  process  of  erosion  and  denundation  has  gone  on  un- 
til hundreds  of  feet  of  sediment,  perhaps  thousands  of  feet,  have  been  strip- 
ped away.  The  edges  of  the  old  sedimentary  beds  laid  down  in  Cretaceous 
times  are  now  exposed  in  Arkansas  about  Arkadelphia.  Okolona,  Washington, 
Saratoga,  White  Cliffs,  Brownstown,  Rocky  Comfort  and  Ultima  Thule. 
Almost  everywhere  else  in  the  state  these  Cretaceous  beds  are  concealed 
by  the  overlying  Tertiary  sediments. 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  105 


In  Louisiana  and  Texas  petroleum  and  gas  are  found  both  in  Cretaceous 
and  in  the  overlying  Tertiary  rocks.  It  is  a  natural  inference  that  the  same 
rocks  may  be  expected  to  contain  petroleum  and  natural  gas  in  the  state  of 
Arkansas.  But  though  the  inference  is  natural  enough,  it  may  not  be  correct. 
The  problem  of  the  petroleum  geologist  is  not  so  simple  as  that.  There  is 
nothing  we  are  more  certain  of  today  than  the  fact  that  the  occurrence  of 
petroleum  at  a  certain  geologic  horizon  in  one  place  is  not  to  be  accepted  as 
evidence  of  its  existence  at  the  same  horizon  somewhere  else.  It  is  im- 
possible to  enter  into  a  detailed  discussion  here  of  the  many  problems  that 
must  be  dealt  with  in  connection  with  the  subject.  The  accumulation  of 
petroleum  and  gas  is  controlled  by  certain  structural  features  which  are 
not  now  open  to  direct  observation  in  the  area  in  question.  Those  features  are 
covered  by  hundreds  of  feet  of  overlying  sediments  and  even  the  structure 
of  the  Tertiary  beds  is  now  much  observed  by  the  wide  river  bottoms  and 
by  the  deposits  of  sands,  gravels  and  clays  spread  out  by  the  floods  that 
swept  over  them  at  the  close  of  the  glacial  epoch. 

After  groping  about  in  the  dark  for  years  the  exploring  companies  have 
finally  reached  the  reasonable  conclusion  that  the  location  of  prospecting 
wells  is  the  work  of  the  trained  geologist  and  paleontologist.  One  of  the 
great  difficulties  about  the  petroleum  and  gas  question  in  eastern  and  south- 
eastern Arkansas  is  that  the  problems  are  too  large  and  too  expensive  to 
be  handled  by  the  land  owners,  or  by  individuals.  Only  strong  financial 
organizations  can  afford  to  take  the  r»sks  involved  in  such  ventures.  But 
while  such  organizations  must  be  guided  by  the  geologist,  no  competent  geo- 
logist can  guarantee  the  finding  of  petroleum  at  any  particular  place.  All 
he  can  do  is  to  get  his  geology  right,  and  thus  reduce  the  risk  to  be  run  by 
the  exploring  companies.  If  the  companies  are  not  prepared  to  take  the 
risks  they  should  keep  out  of  it  entirely.  And  if  the  oil  is  not  there,  not 
even  the  geologist  can  find  it. 

Stanford  University.  California.  JOHN  C.  BRANNER. 

June.  18,  1920. 


Natural  Gas. 

The  first  gas  well  was  drilled  in  Arkansas  on  the  Massard  Prairie, 
south  of  Fort  Smith  in  1901.  The  producing  field  at  present  extends  north 
and  south  of  the  Arkansas  River,  from  near  Alma  on  the  east  to  Poteau, 
Oklahoma,  embracing  parts  of  Crawford,  Sebastian  and  Scott  counties.  The 
production  of  natural  gas  in  this  field  from  wells  drilled  in  1919  exceeded 
200,000,000  cubic  feet  a  day.  One  well  has  a  record  of  24,000,000  cubic  feet 
a  day  and  is  rated  as  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Southwest, 

Gas  is  found  at  depths  of  from  750  to  3175  feet.  There  are  seven  dis- 
tinct producing  sands,  each  from  40  to  280  feet  thick.  The  product  is  dry, 
clean  and  odorless.  Under  government  test  this  gas  shows  a  heating  record 
of  1057  British  thermal  units,  which  is  considerably  higher  that  the  tests 
made  by  most  gases  from  the  Southwestern  field. 

Five  companies  are  operating  in  the  Arkansas  field  and  pipe  lines  are 
laid  from  the  wells  to  nearby  cities  for  distribution  to  more  than  100  indus- 
tries and  thousands  of  private  homes.  The  public  utilities  of  Fort  Smith 


106  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

and  Van  Buren,  and  coal  mines  nearby,  are  operated  with  power  generated 
by  natural  gas. 

Carl  D.  Sm.th,  in  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  541,  1912,  says: 

"The  question  as  to  the  probability  of  striking  oil  at  some  point  down 
the  dip  of  the  strata  below  the  gas  has  been  asked.  It  is  not  known,  of 
course,  whether  the  gas  is  underlain  down  the  slope  of  the  sand  by  oil  or 
water,  nor  how  far  down  the  slope  the  contact  of  the  water  and  gas  or  oil  and 
gas  would  be  found,  but  toward  Sugarloaf  and  Cavanal  mountains  the  strata 
dip  at  the  rate  of  200  to  300  feet  to  the  mile;  hence  to  reach  a  given  bed  it 
would  be  necessary  to  drill  deeper  and  deeper  as  either  of  these  mountains 
is  approached.  It  is  estimated  that  the  top  of  the  Hartshorne  sandstone 
lies  at  a  depth  of  3,000  to  3,500  .feet  below  the  town  of  Poteau. 

"It  seems  that,  if  other  t'hings  are  equal,  the  chances  of  striking  gas 
are  better  in  the  upward  folds  or  anticlines  than  in  other  localities.  Of 
course,  if  a  porous  medium  be  not  present  in  the  anticline,  then  the  chances 
there  are  no  better  than  elsewhere;  but  as  the  presence  or  absence  of  the 
porous  medium  can  not  be  foretold,  that  chance  must  be  taken  as  a  part 
of  the  risk  of  drilling." 

The  late  Dr.  A.  H.  Purdue,  former  State  Geologist,  expressed  the  belief 
that  indications  were  favorable  for  the  extension  of  the  gas  field  through 
the  Arkansas  Valley  as  far  east  as  Little  Rock  and  recommended  the  drilling 
of  wells,  wherever  anticlines  occurred  in  that  territory. 

Gas  is  found  in  small  quantities  in  Washington  County,  near  Fayette- 
ville,  and  in  Independence  County,  near  Batesville,  but  has  not  been  com- 
mercially developed  in  either  locality.  The  presence  of  seepage  gas  has  led 
to  the  drilling  of  a  prospect  well  12  miles  south  of  Little  Rock,  in  Saline 
County. 

At  the  time  this  report  was  prepared  a  strong  flow  of  gas  was  obtained 
in  a  prospect  oil  well,  drilled  by  the  Constantin  Company,  near  El  Dorado, 
Union  County.  The  heavy  flow  from  this  well  seems  to  warrant  the  belief 
that  a  new  gas  field,  if  not  an  oil  and  gas  field,  will  be  developed  in  south- 
central  Arkansas. 

An  examination  of  the  stratigraphy,  witfc  reference  to  the  oil  and  gas 
possibilities  near  Batesville  was  made  in  1919  by  H.  M.  Robinson  and  the 
same  year  a  report  was  made  by  E.  W.  Shaw,  on  the  Natural  Gas  Resources 
Available  to  Little  Rock,  but  these  reports  have  not  yet  been  published. 

REFERENCES. 

Harris,  G.  D. — Oil  and  Gas  in  Louisiana  and  Adjacent  States.  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Bulletin  429,  1910. 

Smith,  C.  D. — Structure  of  the  Fort  Smith-Poteau  Gas  Field,  Arkansas- 
Oklahoma.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Bulletin  541. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


107 


First  Producer  in  the  New  Gas  Field 

of  Southern  Arkansas 


Constantin  Gas  Well  Near  El  Dorado 

Government  geologists  report  favorable  structure  in  the  vicinity  of  this  well 
for  the  presence  of  petroleum,  for  which  the  drillers  were  in  search  when 
the  well  began  producing  natural  gas. 


108 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Map  of  Arkansas,   Illustrating  Relative  Chances  for  Oil  and  Gas — Drawn   by 
Dr.    N.    F.    Drake,   State    Geologist 

Petroleum  and  Natural  Gas. 

By  N.   F.  Drake,   State  Geologist. 

For  the  accumulation  of  petroleum  and  natural  gas  in  commercial 
quantities  several  conditions  must  be  fulfilled.  There  must  be  rock  beds 
that  are  a  source  of  petroleum  and  gas;  there  must  be  rock  beds  with  open 
spaces  into  which  oil  and  gas  may  accumulate;  the  porous  rock  bed  must 
be  so  enclosed  by  impervious  beds  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  oil  and 
gas;  and  finally  metamorphic  action  in  the  region  must  have  been  slight, 
otherwise  the  oil  and  gas  would  have  been  destroyed. 

Geologists  are  in  practical  agreement  that  petroleum  and  natural  gas 
originate  from  organic  matter  deposited  with  clays  and  to  a  lesser  extent 
with  limestones.  Estauries,  lagoons,  and  more  or  less  stagnant  areas  of 
the  sea  bottom  near  coast  lines  seem  to  have  been  the  most  favorable  loca- 
tions for  the  accumulation  of  the  organic  matter  that  later  was  converted 
into  petroleum  and  natural  gas.  It  appears  that  both  animal  and  plant  re- 
mains enter  into  the  formation  of  oil  and  gas  by  the  aid  of  bacteria  work- 
ing on  the  organic  matter  while  it  is  accumulating  and  soon  after  it  is 
buried  in  the  sediments.  As  the  oil  bearing1  sediments  become  more  deeply 
buried  by  other  sediments  the  oil  is  driven-  out- of  the  beds  in  which  it 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  109 


originated  into  adjacent  porous  beds.  Whether  the  oil  will  then  remain  in 
the  porous  beds  largely  depends  on  whether  it  is  enclosed  by  impervious 
beds,  such  as  clay  beds,  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  the  further  migration 
of  the  oil.  There  are  a  number  of  ways  in  which  the  porous  beds  may  be- 
come enclosed  reservoirs.  Upward  folds  of  the  rock  beds  forming  anti- 
clines and  domes,  or  in  other  words  inverted  basins,  often  prevent  leakage 
from  the  reservoir  rock.  This  is  especially  true  when  impervious  clay  or 
shale  beds  of  considerable  thickness  overlie  and  underlie  the  porous  rock 
bed.  Again  the  porous  bed  may  be  lens-shaped,  pinching  out  at  the  sides 
and  covered  and  surrounded  toy  clay  or  clay  shale  beds  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  it  a  .closed  reservoir.  Where  the  dip  or  slope  of  the  rock  beds  is 
regular  in  one  direction  and  the  porous  bed  thins  and  disappears  going  up 
the  slope,  and  clay  beds  overlap  the  porous  bed  at  this  edge,  a  closed  reser- 
voir is  formed.  Cementing  of  parts  of  the  porous  bed  with  asphaltic  de- 
posits or  with  mineral  matter  may  also  result  in  reservoirs. 

Metamorphism  has  for  a  long  time  been  recognized  as  a  means  of  de- 
stroying oil  accumulations  but  it  was  only  recently  that  a  quantative 
method  of  estimating  the  destruction  has  been  proposed.  Dr.  David  White* 
developed  the  formula  that  the  degree  of  metamorphism  of  the  coal  or 
carboniferous  shale  of  a  region  gave  a  standard  for  estimating  the  chances 
for  oil  there.  He  estimates  that  where  the  fixed  carbon  content  of  the  coal 
(pure  coal  basis)  is  65%  the  oils  which  may  formerly  have  been  present  in 
the  same  or  underlying  formations,  have  mostly  disappeared  and  that 
where  the  coal  shows  a  carbon  ratio  of  70%  oil  will  not  be  found  in  com- 
mercial quantities  though  gas  pools  may  still  persist.  The  application  of 
this  principle  to  such  extensive  and  varying  oil  fields  as  Oklahoma  and 
Texas**  as  well  as  many  other  oil  fields  over  the  world  has  gone  a  long 
way  towards  establishing  the  formula  given  by  Doctor  White  as  essentially 
true.  It  offers  what  is  apparently  the  best  explanation  for  not  finding  oil 
in  the  Kibler,  Mas  sard  Prairie  and  neighboring  gas  fields  of  western 
Arkansas. 

Taking  into  account  all  the  conditions  enumerated  above  as  essential, 
to  the  formation  and  retention  of  oil  pools  we  may  now  apply  them  to  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  state  and  see  what  predictions  they  lead  to  in  refer- 
ence to  petroleum  and  natural  gas. 

The  accompanying  map  presents  a  rough  outline  showing  different 
areas  into  which  the  state  may  be  divided  with  reference  to  different  de- 
grees of  fitness  for  petroleum  and  natural  gas.  There  is  more  or  less 
variation  within  each  of  these  areas  and  usually  each  area,  in  its  geological 
features,  graduates  into  the  adjoining  areas  but  as  a  whole  each  area  as 
mapped  forms  a  fairly  distinct  group. 

Area  VI. — The  area  marked  "6"  and  by  vertical  lining  includes  the 
Ouachita  Mountain  system. in  which  the  rock  beds  are  severely  folded  into 
numerous  anticlinal  and  synclinal  folds  extending  almost  east  by  west*  the 
whole  forming  an  upward  bent  fold  or  an  anticlinorium.  The  tops  of  these 

•Jour.  Wash.  Acad.  VoL  V.  p.  189.  Also  Bull.,  Geol,,  Soc.  An>er,  Vol. 
XXVIII  p.  733. 

**Ec!on.  G£61.  Vol.  XIV,  p.   536.     Also  Eeon.   Geol.  Vol.  TXV, -p.  225.r 


110  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


folds  have  been  eroded  so  that  now  the  numerous  parallel  ridges  stand  at 
almost  the  same  elevation.  This  means  that  the  center  of  the  anticlin- 
orium  has  been  eroded  more  than  at  the  sides  so  that  now  we  have  ex- 
posed at  the  surface  along  the  central  portion  of  the  area  the  oldest  rock 
beds.  Going  either  northwards  or  southwards  from  the  central  oldest 
rocks  one  passes  over  successively  younger  rocks  as  he  approaches  the 
border  of  this  area,  except  that  in  places  severe  folding  has  caused  the 
complete  overturning  of  some  of  the  beds.  In  age  the  rocks  of  this  area 
extend  from  the  Cambrian  at  the  base,  through  the  Ordovician,  Silurian, 
Devonian  and  into  the  Carboniferous  at  the  top.  The  whole  gives  a  thick- 
ness of  15,000  to  20,000  feet  of  shales,  sandstones,  and  some  cherts  and 
limestones.  The  Whole  area  is  rather  highly  metamorphosed  so  that  a 
large  part  of  the  shales  are  graphitic  and  often  the  sandstones  have  been 
changed  to  quartzites.  Much  of  the  original  pore  spaces  in  these  rocks 
have  been  filled  by  silica  and  lime  carbonate.  Igneous  rocks  in  small 
areas,  outcrop  at  a  number  of  places.  The  severe  metamorphism  of  the 
rocks  in  this  area  at  once  condemns  it  as  a  field  for  oil  and  gas. 

Area  V. — The  area  marked  "5"  in  the  north  central  part  of  the  state  is 
a  part  of  the  Ozark  Plateau  and  its  exposed  rock  beds  are  mainly  Ordo- 
vician dolomites  and  sandstones  but  overlying  these  beds  in  regular  order 
are  Silurian,  Devonian  and  Mississippian  beds,  the  total  giving  something 
like  2000  feet  of  outcropping  rock  beds  within  this  area.  Limestones, 
sandstone  and  some  carbonaceous  shale  are  found  in  the  upper  part  of 
these  beds.  The  rock  beds  are  broken  or  faulted  at  many  places  and 
show  some  gentle  folds  but  in  the  main  the  beds  lie  almost  horizontal  or 
dip  slightly  to  the  south.  While  metamorphic  action  in  this  area  has  not 
been  severe,  it  has  been  considerable  so  that  many  of  the  limestones  are 
more  or  less  crystaline.  In  quarymg  rocks  over  the  area  a  little  petro- 
leum has  beert  found  in  small  cavities  in  some  of  the  limestones  and  dolo- 
mites at  a  number  of  places.  This  has  led  some  people  to  suspect  that  oil 
in  commercial  quantities  might  be  found  there.  It  seems  very  doubtful 
whether  there  is  present,  at  sufficient  depth,  rock  beds  capable  of  giving 
origin  to  oil.  The  Chattanooga  shale  along  the  south  and  southwest  bor- 
der of  the  area  is  too  near  the  surface  for  any  oil  it  might  have  produced 
to  have  been  retained  in  the  rocks.  The  deep  seated  beds  are  mainly 
dolomites  and  sandstones.  Metamorphic  action  here  has  almost  assuredly 
been  great  enough  to  have  destroyed  oil  accumulations  even  had  they  at 
one  time  existed.  Furthermore  test  wells  in  this  area  and  in  the  same  rock 
beds  nearby  in  Missouri  have  failed  to  give  encouragement  for  oil  and  gas. 

Area.  IV.— The  area  marked  "4"  on  the  map  includes  the  south  and 
southwest  border  of  the  Ozark  Plateau.  Here  the  rock  beds  lie  almost 
horizontal  but  in  general  have  a  dip  of  one  to  two  degrees  to  the  south  and 
southwest.  At  places  this  dip  increases  to  fire  or  six  degrees  or  even 
more.  Some  gentle  folding  and  faulting  occurs  over  the  area  and  heavy 
faulting  with  the  downthrow  on  the  south  side  of  the  fault  planes,  occurs 
along  the  south  border  of  the  area,  As  one  goes  northward  over  this  area 
he  reaches  successively  lower  and  older  rock  beds.  Along  the  north  bor- 
der of  the  area  the  outcropping  rocks  are  mainly  Mississippian  while  on 
the  south  border  they  are  Pennsylvanian.  Wells  drilled  300  to  500  feet 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  111 


deep  near  the  north  border,  or  500  to  2000  feet  deep  near  the  south  border, 
would  pass  into  the  Silurian  or  Ordovician  limestones,  dolomites  and  sand- 
stones. Over  those  beds  lies  the  Chattanooga  shale,  which  is  usually  25  to 
40  feet  thick.  It  is  highly  carbonaceous  and  is  oil  and  gas-producing.  About 
350  feet  -of  chert  with  some  limestone  overlies  the  Chattanooga  shale.  The 
chert  in  turn  is  overlain  by  200  to  400  feet  of  hig'hly  carbonaceous  shale, 
the  Fayetteville  shale,  that  is  also  oil  and  gas-producing.  Oil  and  gas  with- 
in this  area  would  naturally  be  expected  to  have  been  derived  from  those 
shale  beds. 

We  have  then  in  this  area  beds  of  rock  favorable  for  the  production  of 
oil  and  gas,  porous  sandstones  suitable  for  reservoir  rock  and  some  gentle 
folding  giving  inverted  basins  that  might  trap  the  oil  and  gas  in  their  up- 
ward migrations.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  area  the  covering  over 
the  oil-gas  producing  shales  is  not  sufficient  to  prevent  leakage  but  in  the 
southern  portion  the  covering  should  be  ample. 

A  well  a  little  over  300  feet  deep  about  five  miles  northwest  of  Fay- 
etteville has,  for  about  three  years,  furnished  enough  gas  fuel  for  cooking 
and  heating  at  a  farm  house.  This  gas  was  struck  in  sandstone  immedi- 
ately underlying  the  Chattanooga  shale.  Without  any  reasonable  doubt 
this  gas  came  from  the  shale.  The  covering  over  the  shale  is  nearly  300 
feet  of  Boone  chert  which  would  allow  gas  to  escape  to  the  surface  and 
be  lost  while  the  shale  itself  is  nearly  impervious  and  gas  collecting  under 
the  shale  would  be  retained. 

A  number  of  other  wells  widely  distributed  over  this  area  have  given 
small  flows  of  natural  gas  but  commercial  flows  have  not  yet  been  ob- 
tained. It  is  rather  difficult  to  estimate  the  degree  of  alteration  or  meta- 
morphism  that  exists  over  the  area.  The  following  coal  analysis  by  G.  O. 
Burr  of  the  University  of  Arkansas,  from  a  sample  of  coal  taken  from  the 
Baldwin  mine,  situated  about  seven  miles  east  of  Fayetteville,  probably 
gives  a  fair  average  for  the  condition  of  the  area  as  a  whole: 

Moisture     0.87% 

Volatile    Combustible    Matter 30.75% 

Fixed   Carbon    60.30% 

Ash     8.13% 

Sulphur     2.42% 

This  analysis  gives  a  carbon  ratio  for  the  coal  of  66.74%  which  shows 
too  high  a  carbon  ratio  for  commercial  pools  of  oil  but  still  permits  gas 
pools  of  value.  It  is  possible  that  some  local  places  within  this  area  may 
have  a  lower  alteration  of  the  rock  beds  and  in  that  case  oil  might  be 
found,  but  the  chances  are  against  the  existence  of  such  conditions.  The 
southern  portions  of  this  area  with  a  better  covering  over  the  oil-gas  pro- 
ducing shales  offers  good  chances  for  commercial  gas  where  structural 
conditions  are  favorable. 

Area  III. — The  area  marked  "3"  and  by  horizontal  and  vertical  lining 
is  practically  all  the  area  between  the  Ozark  Plateau  and  the  Ouachita 
Mountain  system.  The  outcropping  rock  beds  here  belong  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vanian  series  and  consist  of  carbonaceous  clay  shales,  sandstones,  and  in 


112  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GE3LOGY 


the  western  part  some  workable  coal  beds.  These  beds  thicken  to  the 
southward,  probably  being  four  times  as  thick  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
area  as  in  the  northern  part.  According  to  Branner*  the  Pennsylvanian 
sediments  of  the  state  reach  a  total  thickness  of  23,780  feet.  The  strata 
of  this  area  are  folded  into  many  folds  and  the  whole  series  forms  a 
downwarp  or  synclinorium.  As  a  rule  the  folds  are  gentle  near  the  north- 
ern border  and  increase  in  intensity  southward  until  in  places  along  and 
near  the  south  border  some  of  the  beds  stand  almost  or  quite  vertical. 
Metamorphism  or  alteration  of  the  rock  beds  has  very  much  kept  pace 
with  the  intensity  of  folding.  As  a  rule  the  highest  alteration  of  the  rocks 
is  to  the  southward  and  southeastward  but  near  the  heavy  faulting,  as  in 
the  southern  part  of  Scott  county,  the  metamorphism  may  be  somewhat 
less.  Coal  analyses  are  not  available  for  the  whole  field  but  the  following 
analyses  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  alteration  that  has  taken  place  and  the 
way  it  is  distributed: 


Locality.  !  fc.  *       ~ 

*     ? 


•rt 


.    .         k.     ^-»        ir^    :  jj  ^  :\t  M 

S    j  >  S    fa  o  j  <     «i    ;  c            < 

Near    Mates,    Scott    uo .Z^..|3.3yJ24.44|t)6.4o    5.79  0.87  73  U.  S.  G.  S. 

Near    Fbrt~S"mith    /...|2TlF|l^M|72Tl5jllT66|2TO~6i  84|U.  S.  G.  S 

Hackett     ".'....:". |OL86|14.91|  73.86    !M>::  1.32j  83|Brackett 

htuntington 'l.02|17.88|73.61     7.491.10  80  U.  S.  G.  S. 


Coal     mil     ....|.L.o2|i<t.<o|  <o.tfi     b.^a  1.52       841  U.  S.  G.  S. 

Spadra     I  L'.l :.  L0.82  7'is?  10.16  2.30      88|t.  S.  G.  S. 

Near    Russellville  2.33  L0.16  10  LSI       ss  r.   S.  G.  S. 


Many  other  analyses  covering  the  same  territory  might  be  given  but 
they  would  tell  the  same  story.  There  are  no  analyses  available  covering 
the  eastern  or  the  northern  borders  of  the  area  but  bituminous  coals  an- 
known  to  be  in  those  localities,  and  they  may  show  a  less  degree  of  alter- 
ation. It  is  not  likely,  however,  that  they  will  prove  sufficiently  high  in 
volatile  matter  to  give  conditions  favorable  for  oil  in  commercial  quanti- 
ties. As  is  well  known,  this  area,  in  its  western  part,  is  already  a  heavy 
producer  of  gas.  It  is  likely  that  the  producing  areas  may  be  extended 
farther  eastward  along  the  northern  part  of  the  field  even  to  the  extreme 
east  border  of  this  area. 

Area  II. — The  area  marked  "2"  on  the  accompanying  map  is  a  part  of 
the  gulf  coastal  plains.  The  northern  part  of  the  area  is  Cretaceous  and  the 
southern  Tertiary  in  age.  The  Cretaceous  rock  beds  comprise  clays  and 
marls  more  or  less  carbonaceous  and  sandstone,  gravel  beds,  limestone,  and 
chalk,  altogether  totaling  over  2000  feet  in  thickness  as  shown  by  out- 
crops. The  Tertiary  beds  are  about  1000  feet  thick  and  consist  of  sands, 
clays  and  marls.  Both  the  Cretaceous  and  the  Tertiary  beds  dip  gently  to 


*Amer.    Jour.    Sci.    Vol.    II    p.    236. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


113 


the  southeastward.  Both  carry  beds  containing  organic  matter  and  porous 
sandstone  beds.  Metamorphic  action  has  not  altered  the  beds  to  a  degree 
that  would  destroy  oil  accumulations.  It  appears  then  that  the  thing  most 
needed  for  insuring  the  existence  of  oil  accumulations  here  is  good  struct- 
ural features  that  would  entrap  the  oil  in  its  upward  migrations. 

The  asphalt  deposits  in  Pike  and  in  Sevier  counties  show  oil  leakage 
along  the  northern  border  of  the  area.  This  oil  must  have  moved  north- 
wards up  the  slopes  of  the  Cretaceous  rock  beds.  So  far  as  known  there 
are  no  folds  within  this  area  but  it  is  possible  that  there  may  be  some 
small  folds  and  furthermore  some  of  the  porous  beds  thru  which  the  oil 
migrates  may,  in  their  upward  reaches,  either  thin  out  and  disappear  or 
else  become  close  textured  so  as  to  entrap  the  oil  as  it  moves  up  the  slope 
of  the  rock  bed. 

These  last  noted  conditions  can  only  be  proven  by  the  very  expensive 
method  of  drilling  test  wells.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  oil-bearing  areas,  under 
such  conditions  as  exist  in  this  area,,  must  necessarily  be  small  in  compari- 
son with  the  barren  areas.  The  wells  that  have  been  drilled  in  and  near 
this  area  have  indicated  a  regularity  of  the  dip  to  the  south  and  southeast 
and  have  given  no  special  encouragement  for  further  prospecting. 


Photo  of  Hunter  Well  Near  Stephens  Just  After  Showing  of  Oil  Occurred 


Arkansas'  first  production  of  oil  in  commercial  quantities  was  from  the 
Hunter  Well,  which,  with  several  thousand  acres  of  leases,  'has  been 
taken  over  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  It  is  understood  the  field  is 
now  to  be  thoroughly  prospected. 


114  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Area  I. — The  area  marked  "1"  comprises  nearly  all  that  part  of  the 
state  lying  east  and  south  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  This  area  is 
also  a  part  of  the  gulf  coastal  plains.  The  outcropping  rocks  are  Tertiary 
and  Quaternary  in  age.  The  Quaternary  beds  form  a  thin  covering  of 
alluvial  materials  lying  on  the  Tertiary  beds,  along  the  flood  plains  of  the 
river  bottoms.  The  Tertiary  beds  consist  of  clays,  and  marls  more  or  less 
carbonaceous  and  sandstone  and  some  lignite  beds.  The  strata  dip  gently 
towards  the  southeast.  Going  eastward  over  the  area  one  passes  over 
beds  that  are  successively  higher  and  younger  geologically  and  the  series 
becomes  thicker  until  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  state  these  beds  are 
probably  2000  feet  or  more  in  thickness.  Under  these  beds  the  Cretaceous 
beds  above  noted  extend  apparently  without  any  breaks. 

During  Tertiary  times  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  extended  over  this  area  in 
an  embayment  that  reached  northward  to  the  southern  point  of  Illinois  and 
it  extended  to  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  into  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi about  as  far  as  it  extends  westward  from  the  Mississippi  River  over 
Arkansas.  The  underlying  and  older  Cretaceous  embayment  was  somewhat 
broader  but  did  not  extend  quite  so  far  northwards.  The  embayments  gave 
good  conditions  for  the  accumulation  of  organic  matter  of  the  sea  and 
neighboring  land  areas.  Over  this  area  also,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  a  part  of  Crowley's  Ridge,  the  rocks  have  not  been  altered  to  a  degree 
that  would  injure  oil  accumulations.  The  conditions  are  then  favorable 
for  oil  and  gas  wherever  structural  conditions  exist  to  catch  and  hold  the 
oil  and  gas. 

Since  the  Tertiary  rocks  are  practically  all  soft  and  friable  they  easily 
go  to  pieces  where  exposed  at  the  surface.  So  a  deep  soil  usually  covers 
the  underlying  beds  and  one  cannot,  except  in  rare  cases,  determine  from 
surface  examinations  how  the  underlying  rock  beds  lie.  Where  the  top 
exposed  beds  lie  parallel  to  the  underlying  beds  and  the  top  beds  are  well 
exposed  it  is  a  simple  process  to  determine  the  underground  structure  so 
far  as  folding  is  concerned.  Over  this  area  the  rock  beds  are  usually  cov- 
ered and  often  not  well  marked  when  exposed  and  in  places  the  topmost 
and  the  lower  beds  are  not  parallel  or  conformable  so  it  is  difficult  to  de 
termine  the  structure  here. 

There  is  some  fairly  good  evidence  of  a  gentle  anticlinal  fold  extending 
northeast  by  southwest  through  the  central  part  of  Cleveland  county. 
Should  this  prove  to  be  true  the  fold  may  be  expected  to  extend  farther  to 
the  northeast  and  southwest  beyond  Cleveland  county. 

While  the  area  marked  "1"  offers  the  best  chances  for  finding  oil  in 
the  state,  and  while  so  many  of  the  essential  conditions  for  oil  are  favor- 
able it  should  be  remembered  that  sediments  laid  down  along  a  shore  line 
retreating  seaward  with  a  slowly  subsiding  sea  bottom  and  a  rising  ad- 
joining land  area,  as  was  likely  the  case,  would  give  rise  to  beds  dipping 
regularly  and  not  to  folds  or  structural  features  favorable  to  entrapping 
oil.  Favorable  structural  areas  may  therefore  be  expected  to  form  only  a 
small  part  of  the  total  area.  As  shown  by  the  conditions  enumerated  the 
favorable  places  are  difficult  to  locate  until  more  data  bearing  on  the  sub- 
ject is  collected. 

The  log  of  every  deep  well  drilled  in  this  area  should  be  accurately 
recorded  as  these  records  would  furnish  one  of  the  best  means  of  determ- 
ining the  most  favorable  places  to  locate  future  test  wells. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  115 

Petroleum 

(See  preceding   chapters   under   heading  of   Natural    Gas  and   Oil) 

The  discovery  of  immense  oil  fields  in  three  neighboring  states,  Louis- 
iana, Texas  and  Oklahoma,  has  attracted  attention  to  the  possibilities  of  oil 
development  in  Arkansas.  Land  has  been  leased  in  different  counties,  and 
it  is  reported  that  100  prospect  wells  were  being  drilled  in  1920,  several  in 
Union  and  Ouachita  counties,  one  in  Hot  Spring  County,  one  in  White 
County,  one  in  Franklin  County,  one  in  Washington  County,  one  in  Pulaski 
County,  one  in  Columbia  County,  one  in  Yell  County  and  quite  a  number 
in  different  parts  of  Benton  County.  In  the  gas  fields  of  Crawford,  Sebas- 
tian and  Scott  counties  drilling  is  being  extended  into  the  deeper  sands 
with  the  hope  of  finding  oil  at  4,000  or  more  feet. 

~A  company  with  the  highest  grade  of  technical  advisers  are  sinking  a 
well  at  Winslow  on  what  they  admit  is  a  remote  chance  of  striking  oil  in 
a  favorable  anticline  in  the  Chattanooga  shale.  At  this  well  there  is  also  a 
chance  of  striking  a  little  oil  in  the  much  higher  Wedington  sandstone  or 
the  Fayetteville  shale,  but  the  well  is  considered  too  near  the  outcrop. 

Another  company  is  testing  a  well  located  anticline  at  Ozark  where  there 
are  possibilities  of  oil  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Pennsylvanian  of  the  Car- 
boniferous formation,  including  the  full  thickness  of  the  Atoka  formation, 
and  the  probable  extension  of  the  Fayetteville  shale.  They  also  plan  to  test 
another  anticline  at  Jethro  in  the  northern  part  of  Franklin  County  where 
the  formations  are  similar  but  higher  and  containing  less  shale. 

In  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  No.  429,  G.  D.  Harris 
has  the  following  to  say  under  the  heading,  "Oil  and  Gas  in  Louisiana,  with 
a  Brief  Summary  of  their  Occurrence  in  Adjacent  States:'' 

"As  oil  and  gas  occur  in  southern  Louisiana  and  southeastern  Texas  in 
commercial  quantities  in  the  vicinity  of  Saline  domes,  a  few  hundred  acres 
in  extent,  most  of  such  localities  being  separated  by  barren  regions  scores 
of  miles  wide,  it  is  hig'nly  important  for  future  development  that  the  manner 
of  occurrence  of  these  salines  should  be  carefully  studied,  so  that  probably 
productive  territory  may  be  separated  from  territory  in  which  the  discovery 
of  oil  or  gas  is  unlikely.  *  *  *  In  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  all  tfie  saline 
domes  are  located  along  lines  of  fracture  in  the  deep-lying  Mesozoic  and 
Paleozoic  rocks,  and  in  general  their  location  seems  to  be  at  the  crossing 
of  such  lines.  *  *  *  *  The  large  amounts  of  gas  and  oil  found  in  the 
Caddo  field,  Louisiana,  appear  to  be  simply  following  east  .and  north 
slopes  of  a  great  uplift,  and  concentrating  or  reconcentrating  along  slight 
anticlinal  ridges.  *  *  *  Hopes  may  be  entertained  of  finding  oil  and  gas  so 
entrapped  in  wells  sunk  in  various  places  near  the  Eocene-Cretaceous  con- 
tact from  Arkadelphia  and  to  beyond  San  Antonio  (Texas).' 

(Aside  from  the  salt  domes  of  Louisiana  other  oil  fields,  such  as  the 
Caddo  and  Homer  fields,  have  been  found  in  connection  with  minor  anti- 
clines along  the  northern  edge  of  the  Sabine  uplift  of  Louisiana.  These 
rocks  also  occur  widely  in  southeast  Arkansas  and  are  likely  to  contain  oil. 
Unfortunately  they  are  north  of  the  Sabine  uplift  and  will  be  some  600  feet 
deeper.  If  oil  is  found  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  the  pressure  will  be  cor- 
respondingly increased. — Paranthetical  information  verbally  supplied  to  the 
editor  by  Prof.  A.  A.  Steel,  Acting  State  Geologist.) 


116  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Asphalt   and    Petroleum    in    Southwestern   Arkansas. 

From  the  report  of  Hugh  D.  Miser  and  A.  H.  Purdue,  "Asphalt  Deposits 
and  Oil  Conditions  in  Southwestern  Arkansas,"  U.  S".  Geol.  Surv.  Bulletin 
No.  691 — J.,  the  following  is  taken: 

"The  Trinity  formation  contains  petroleum  and  asphalt  at  many  places 
in  northern  Texas  and  southeastern  Oklahoma.  The  asphalt  in  these  two 
states  and  in  Arkansas,  as  in  other  regions,  is  doubtless  a  residue  of  crude 
petroleum,  whose  lighter  and  more  volatile  parts  have  escaped  by  evapora- 
tion. The  petroleum  yielding  the  asphalt  in  Arkansas  is  believed  by  the 
writers  to  have  been  derived  from  the  Carboniferous  rocks  underlying  the 
Trinity  formation,  near  the  base  of  which  the  asphalt  is  found.  In  support 
of  this  belief  is  the  fact  that  there  are  small  amounts  of  asphalt  in  the 
sandstone  of  the  Atoka  formation,  of  Carboniferous  age,  which  crops  out  in 
two  narrow  belts  with  a  north  of  east  trend  in  Pike  County,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Pike  and  Murfreesboro. 

"Asphalt  is  also  found  in  Carboniferous  and  older  rocks  near  Mena, 
Arkansas,  and  in  southeastern  Oklahoma.  The  Carboniferous  rocks  pass 
beneath  the  Trinity  formation,  and  t'he  beds  are  tilted  in  such  a  manner  that 
their  edges  project  against  the  base  of  the  Trinity.  Any  oil  in  the  Carbonif- 
erous beds  would,  in  the  course  of  time,  work  its  way  upward  into  the 
Trinity.  It  could  not  go  higher  than  the  lower  limestone  of  the  Trinity, 
because  of  the  impervious  character  of  this  limestone  and  the  associated 
clays.  As  the  Trinity  has  a  gentle  dip  to  the  south,  t'he  oil  would  be  con- 
veyed up  the  dip  to  the  surface.  There  is,  however,  no  direct  proof  that 
some  or  all  of  the  petroleum  did  not  originate  in  the  basal  part  of  the 
Trinity  formation,  which  contains  some  fossiliferous  limestone. 

"On  the  assumption  that  the  petroleum  yielding  the  asphalt  herein  de- 
scribed originated  either  in  the  Trinity  or  in  the  underlying  rocks,  the 
petroleum  has  probably  migrated  northward.  There  is,  however,  a  possi- 
bility that  it  came  upward  from  the  Paleozoic  strata  immediately  subjacent 
to  the  areas  containing  the  asphalt  deposits. 

"The  Cretaceous  rocks  in  southwestern  Arkansas  have  a  southward 
dip  of  about  100  feet  to  the  mile,  and  although  they  have  been  slightly 
warped,  no  pronounced  anticlines  or  synclines  occur  in  Pike,  Howard  and 
Sevier  counties.  Thus,  if  petroleum  occurs  in  the  region  south  of  the 
asphalt  deposits,  its  accumulation  into  quantities  of  possible  commercial 
importance  would  probably  be  controlled  by  terrace  structure,  lenticular 
character  of  sands,  or  irregularities  in  the  Cretaceous  floor. 

"The  peridotite  masses  near  Murfreesboro  may  have  lifted  the  Trinity 
so  as  to  produce  structure  favorable  for  the  accumulation  of  oil  about  them, 
just  as  volcanic  necks  or  plugs  have  done  in  Mexico  and  probably  in  Texas, 
but  such  phenomena  have  not  been  observed  around  the  peridotite  masses. 

"There  is  no  possibility  that  either  oil  in  commercial  quantities  or  gas 
in  large  pools  will  be  found  in  the  Ouachita  Mountain  region  of  west-central 
Arkansas  or  in  most  of  this  region  in  Oklahoma...  The  Carboniferous  and 
older  rocks  have  been  so  highly  tilted  and  so  much  fractured  and  meta- 
morphosed that  if  oil  or  gas  were  ever  present  in  them  the  gas  and  much  of 
the  oil  would  have  made  their  escape  to  the  surface  and  the  remainder  of 
the  oil  would  have  been  distilled  to  asphalt." 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  117 

Oil  Geology  Around   Fayetteville. 

From  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  IV, 
1888,  ttie  following  is  taken: 

"The  occurrence  of  oil  and  gas  in  the  vicinity  of  Fayetteville  has  led 
many  to  the  expectation  that  something  substantial  might  be  realized  from 
it.  But  the  oil  indications  are  based  solely  upon  the  occurrence  of  petroleum 
in  small  quantities  in  the  Fayetteville  shale,  and  t'he  gas  thus  far  discovered 
is  evidently  from  the  same  source,  and  likewise  of  small  quantity.  Oil  may 
occur  in  the  rocks  of  any  geological  horizon,  and  the  mere  fact  of  its  pres- 
ence is  not,  as  many  suppose,  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  existence  of 
petroleum  in  paying  quantities.  The  Fayetteville  shale  has  been  pretty 
thoroughly  explored,  and  there  is  no  substantial  reason  for  expecting  it  to 
prove  a  source  of  oil. 

"There  was  more  or  less  excitement  a  few  years  ago  about  oil  found  on 
Cove  Creek,  13  N.,  32  W.,  Section  24.  The  locality,  though  not  a  promising 
one,  has  been  examined  by  the  Geological  Survey.  It  is  known  locally  as 
"the  oil  spring." 

"'It  may  be  well  in  this  connection  to  correct  an  error  in  regard  to  the 
relations  of  the  structural  geology  of  this  part  of  the  state  to  this  oil-satu- 
rated rock  on  Cove  Creek.  It  has  been  thought  that  the  rocks  in  the  Boston 
Mountains  dipped  north,  forming  a  basin  in  the  central  or  northern  part  of 
Washington  County,  and  that  the  oil-bearing  rocks  exposed  on  Cove  Creek 
would  therefore  be  found  at  a  considerable  depth  in  Benton  County  and  in 
northern  Washington  County,  and  rich  in  oil.  This  is  a  grave  mistake.  The 
general  dip  of  the  rocks  through  the  Boston  Mountains  is  to  the  south, 
though  there  are  many  local  dips  in  other  directions.  Everything  in  the 
general  geology  of  Washington  County  points  to  the  fact  that  the  sand- 
stone in  which  this  oil  occurs  is  cut  off  along  the  north  face  of  the  Boston 
Mountains  and  that  the  rocks  through  the  central  and  northern  parts  of  the 
county  all  lie  below  it. 

"It  should  be  added,  moreover,  in  regard  to  the  Cove  Creek  oil-bearing 
sandstone,  that  it  is  not  a  rock  from  which  oil  can  be  expected  to  flow.  It 
does  not  contain  enough  oil  to  thoroughly  saturate  it;  it  cannot,  there- 
fore, be  expected  to  yield  flowing  wells  of  oil." 

Outlook   in   North   Central  Arkansas. 

In  a  description  of  the  Eureka  Springs  and  Harrison  quadrangles,  by 
A.  H.  Purdue  and  H.  D.  Miser,  published  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  the 
following  statement  is  made  with  reference  to  oil  development  possibilities 
in  north  central  Arkansas: 

"Considerable  money  has  been  spent  in  northern  Arkansas  in  drilling 
wells  with  the  hope  of  finding  oil  or  gas,  but  neither  has  yet  been  found  in 
commercial  quantity  north  of  Crawford  and  Franklin  counties.  Further- 
more, the  character  of  the  rocks  does  not  indicate  that  either  oil  or  gas 
will  be  found  in  commercial  quantity  in  the  quadrangles  under  discussion  or 
in  the  adjoining  parts  of  northern  Arkansas  and  southern  Missouri.  How- 
ever, any  wells  that  are  put  do.wn  should  be  sunk  on  the  domes.  Oil  may 
per-haps  be  distilled  from  $ie,  Chattanooga  shale. 


118  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

In  his  report,  "The  Underground  Waters  of  Northern  Louisiana  and 
Southern  Arkansas,"  A.  C.  Veatch  says: 

"All  of  Louisiana  and  that  part  of  Arkansas  south  of  the  Arkansas 
River  and  the  mountains,  lias  the  same  general  structure  as  the  Great 
American  Coastal  Plain  of  which  it  forms  a  part.  The  land  is  higher  towards 
the  old  plateau  and  mountain  region,  and  the  beds  are  for  the  most  part 
unconsolidated;  they  succeed  one  another  more  or  less  regularly,  range 
in  age  from  the  Cretaceous  on  the  one  hand  to  the  recent  shore  deposits  on 
the  other,  and  dip  in  a  general  way  coastward  at  a  rate  greater  than  that 
of  the  land  surface.  *  *  *  In  the  older  beds  there  is,  in  addition  to  the  slope 
toward  the  coast,  a  slope  toward  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Some  of  these  older 
beds  are  very  much  disturbed,  forming  peculiar,  sharp,  cone-shaped  domes, 
and  as  these  layers  often  contain  artesian  salt  water,  and  are  frequently 
broken  by  the  high  folding,  the  salt  water  is  free  to  pass  into  the  sands  of 
the  surrounding  younger  formations.  *  *  *  * 

Natural  Mounds. 

In  many  parts  of  Arkansas  the  presence  of  low  circular  mounds,  20  to  100 
feet  in  diameter  and  one  to  four  feet  high,  give  rise  to  a  suppopition  that 
oil  or  gas  may  underlie  the  country  where  this  curious  topography  appears, 
the  theory  being  that  the  mounds  are  extinct  vents,  formed  by  the  blowing 
out  of  sand  and  earth  with  escaping  fumes  or  fluids.  Geologists  have  ex- 
plored and  studied  trne  little  hummocks  but  they  offer  no  suggestion  for 
solving  the  mystery  surrounding  the  origin  of  the  mounds.  Their  uniformly 
circular  shape  is  believed  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  their  having  been 
formed  by  wind  or  by  ants  or  burrowing  animals.  No  such  mounds  are  know* 
to  be  in  process  of  formation  at  the  present  time.  The  occurence  of  the 
mounds  in  various  topographic  positions  and  on  geologic  formations  of  all 
ages  would  seem  to  render  the  spring  or  gas-vent  theories  untenable.  They 
have  been  observed  in  Pulaski,  Jefferson,  Lonoke.  White.  Jackson,  Independ- 
ence, Lawrence  and  Clay  counties.  These  geologic  curios  are  discussed 
by  L.  W.  Stephenson  and  A.  F.  Crider  in  Water  Supply  paper  No.  399,  U.  S. 
Geol.  Surv.  1916,  and  by  M.  R.  Campbell  in  the  Journal  of  Geology,  XIV, 
708-717.  1916.  The  letter  contains  a  oibliography. 

Oil    Shales. 

"Petroleum  occurs  in  small  quantities  in  the  Fayetteville  shale  of 
Washington  County.  Everything  in  the  general  geology  of  this  section 
points  to  the  fact  that  the  sandstone  in  which  this  oil  occurs  is  cut  off  along 
the  north  face  of  the  Boston  Mountains  and  that  the  rocks  through  the  cen- 
tral and  northern  parts  of  the  county  all  lie  below  it.  The  rock  does  not 
contain  enough  oil  to  thoroughly  saturate  it." — Annual  Report  of  the  Arkan- 
sas Geological  Survey,  Vol.  IV,  1888. 

"Oil  may  perhaps  be  distilled  from  the  Chattanooga  shale  (of  northwest 
Arkansas)  which  is  sufficiently  bituminous  to  give  off  the  odor  of  petroleum 
when  struck  with  a  hammer,  but  such  distillation  will  be  profitable  only  after 
the  prices  of  petroleum  and  its  products  become  higher." — A.  H.  Purdue 
and  H.  D.  Miser. — Eureka  Springs-Harrison  Folio,  No.  202,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 
Among  the  shale  rocks  of  northwestern  Arkansas,  H.  D.  Miser  of  the  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey,  includes  the  Bloyd  shaK-. 

REFERENCES. 
Miner,    Hugh    D.   and    Purdue,  A.    H. — Asphalt    Deposits   and    Oil   Condition* 

in   Southwestern   Arkansas.     U.  S.   Geol.   Surv.,  Bulletin   691 — J     1918. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  119 


Harris.  G.  D. — Oil  and  gas  Louisiana  and  Adjacent  States.  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Bulletin  429,  1910. 

Veatch,  A.  C. — Geology  and  Underground  Water  Resources  of  Northern 

Louisiana  and  Southern  Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Prof.  Paper  46,  1906. 


Ochre. 

Oehre  is  used  as  a  coloring  matter  for  tinted  paints,  and  paints  made 
with  it  as  a  base  are  often  used  for  forming  coats.  It  finds  its  most  exten- 
sive use,  however,  as  a  filler  in  the  manufacture  of  linoleum. — Mineral  Re- 
sources of  the  United  States,  Part  II,  1912. 

Ochre  of  a  deep  red  color  occurs  abundantly  near  Wittsburg  on  Crow- 
ley's  Ridge.  An  analysis  suggests  no  valuable  use  to  which  this  clay  could 
be  put.  It  is  used  locally  for  painting  barns. — Report  Arkansas  Geological 
Survey,  Vol.  II,  1889. 

Deposits  of  yellow  ochre  occur  near  Monticello,  Drew  County,  and 
Piggott,  Clay  County. — A.  H.  Purdue. 

Brown  ochre,  or  limonite,  occurs  in  many  parts  of  the  state,  but  it  is 
usually  contaminated  with  clays.  *  *  *  Red  ochre,  Fourche  Mountain  and 
suburbs  of  Little  Rock,  usually  impure  from  admixture  with  silica  and  clay. 
— J.  C.  Branner. 


Onyx. 

Argonite  or  Mexican  onyx  (Carbon  dioxide,  44  per  cent;  lime  54  per  cent) 
occurs  in  large  quantities  in  some  of  the  zinc  mines  of  north  Arkansas.  Doctor 
Branner  says,  "We  have  seen  beautiful  pieces  of  this  rock  that  would  have 
brought  high  prices  in  the  market  wantonly  destroyed,  partly  because  the 
owners  were  not  aware  of  its  value,  and  partly  because  this  is  a  zinc 
mine — not  a  stone  quarry." 

From  the  report  of  T.  C.  Hopkins  on  the  Marbles  of  Arkansas,  the 
following  facts  are  taken: 

"None  of  the  onyx  marbles  of  Arkansas  are  quite  as  translucent  or  as 
brightly  banded  as  the  finest  qualities  of  Mexican  stone,  yet  much  of  it  is 
very  handsome,  works  easily,  takes  a  brilliant  polish  and  will  no  doubt 
command  a  good  price.  Further  research  may  show  even  finer  qualities." 

Slabs  containing  several  square  feet  of  "Eureka  onyx"  have  been  re- 
covered from  caves  near  Eureka  Springs  and  made  into  paper  weights, 
clocks,  scarf-pins,  pen  holders,  etc.  Large  quantities  of  stone  are  exposed  in 
a  cave  near  Dodd  City.  It  occurs  in  white,  cream,  red  and  yellowish  brown 
colors.  Apparently  slabs  four  or  five  feet  square  or  even  larger  could  readily 
be  obtained.  It  is  a  beautiful  stone. 

REFERENCES. 

Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  IV,  1890. 


Paint  Minerals. 

There  are  some  seams  or  pockets  of  a  very  good  quality  of  barytes  in 
many  places  in  Montgomery  County,  between  the   Broken  Rock  and  Blue 


120  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Mountain  axes,  and  generally  speaking  along  the  Whole  length  of  that  belt. 
Some  of  the  barytes  is  white  and  of  high  value.  Ground  shale  and  impure 
graphite  which  abound  in  southwestern  Arkansas,  especially  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  are  useful  materials  as  fillers  for  paints.  Red  ochre  ('hema- 
tite) and  "reddle,"  or  a  kind  of  red  chalk,  are  abundant  in  many  localities 
in  southwestern  Arkansas.  Use  might  be  made  of  these  in  paint  manu- 
facture. The  yellow  and  brawn  ochreous  earths  (limonite)  may  in  some 
cases  be  useful  for  similar  purposes.  The  quantity  of  such  ore,  particularly 
in  Pulaski  County,  south  and  west  of  Little  Rock,  is  enormous  and  easily 
mined. 


Pearls. 

Precious  pears  are  procured  from  the  fresh  water  mollusca  of  White 
and  Black  Rivers  in  north  Arkansas  and  occasionally  from  Little  River  in 
southwest  Arkansas.  The  Arkansas  pearls  are  of  rare  quality  in  color  and  an 
unusually  high  per  centage  are  perfectly  shaped.  Frequently  gems  are  found 
that  bring  from  $300  to  $2500  each. 

The  pearl-bearing  shells  are  extensively  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
pearl  buttons,  being  dredged  from  the  bottom  of  the  streams  by  specially 
designed  boats  manned  by  expert  fishermen.  Tons  of  these  mollusca  are 
marketed  annually  at  Black  Rock,  Newport,  DeValls  Bluff  and  Clarendon, 
where  there  are  plants  for  the  production  of  the  pearl  buttons  of  commerce. 


Phosphates. 

Northern  Arkansas. 

In  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  No.  351,  Prof.  A.  H 
Purdue,  former  State  Geologist  of  Arkansas  under  the  title  "Developed 
Phosp'hate  Deposits  of  Northern  Arkansas,"  published  in  1906,  says: 

"The  developed  phosphate  deposits  of  Arkansas  are  on  Lafferty  Creek, 
on  the  western  edge  of  Independence  County.  The  only  point  at  which  the 
beds  are  now  worked  is  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  White  River 
and  the  same  distance  from  the  White  River  branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
R.  R.  Although  this  is  the  only  locality  at  which  the  deposits  'have  been 
developed,  they  have  a  wide  east-west  extent,  reaching  from  the  town  of 
Hickory  Valley,  ten  miles  northeast  of  Batesville,  westward  at  least  as  far  as 
St.  Joe,  in  Searcy  County,  a  distance  of  more  than  80  miles.  A  phosphate 
bed,  which  is  practically  horizontal,  outcrops  in  a  winding  line  on  the  hill- 
sides and  in  other  places  between  the  points  mentioned.  A  phosphoric 
horizon  can  be  traced  to  the  westward  border  of  the  state,  but  at  no  point 
west  of  St.  Joe  have  phosphate  rocks,  in  considerable  amount,  attracted  the 
attention  of  geologists.  Thin  layers  of  phosphatic  sandstone  are  found  in 
the  Devonian  shales  in  the  western  part  of  Carroll  County,  on  War  Eagle 
Creek. 

"In  the  area  over  which  the  phosphate  rocks  occur  nothing  but  sedi- 
mentary rock  is  exposed  at  the  surface.  The  ages,  relations,  and  names  *»* 
the  formations  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  area  are  given  as  follows: 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  121 


Carboniferous 

Boone  chert,  including  St.  Joe  marble. 
Devonian 

Chattanooga  shale  and  Sylamore  sandstone. 
Silurian 

St.  Clair  limestone. 
Ordovician 

Cason  shale 

Polk  Bayou  limestone. 

Ozark  limestone. 

In  June,  1900,  a  company  was  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Arkansas 
Phosphate  company,  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  phosphate  beds  along 
Lafferty  Creek.  After  several  months  of  prospect  work  it  was  found  that 
the  phosphates  exist  in  sufficient  quantities  to  justify  extensive  mining  oper- 
ations. A  mining  and  milling  plant  was  erected,  several  miles  of  railway 
spurs  were  laid  and  mining  was  begun.  After  only  a  few  months  of  active 
operation  the  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire,  which  stopped  the  work. 

The  following  analyses  of  specimens  of  the  rock  were  made  in  the 
laboratory  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

Equivalent  in 

Phosphoric  Calcium  Phosphate 
Acid  (P  2  0-,)        (Ca3  (PO  .).».) 

Four  Inches  from  top  of  bed 25.86  56.45 

Middle  of  bed 27.24  59.46 

Eight  inches  from  bottom  of  bed 27.40  59.81 

Black  phosphate  32.60  71.06 

Composite   sample   . 29.18  63.70 

From  lower  bed  13.46  29.38 

"The  aggregate  thickness  of  the  two  beds  at  the  quarries  is  from  8^ 
to  10  feet. 

The  geological  formations  of  the  vicinity  of  the  developed  deposits  from 
below  upward  are:  The  Izard  limestone,  the  Polk  Bayou  limestone,  the 
Cason  shale,  the  St.  Clair  limestone,  the  St.  Joe  marble  and  the  Boone 
chert.  The  developed  deposits  occur  between  t'he  Polk  Bayou  limestone  and 
the  St.  Clair  marble,  consequently  at  the  horizon  of  the  Cason  shale,  which 
is  thought  to  be  of  Ordovician  age.  The  phosphate  rock  is  of  sedimentary 
origin  and  where  developed  is  light  grey,  homogenous,  and  conglomeratic, 
the  pebbles  being  the  size  of  peas  and  smaller.  The  beds  probably  were 
laid  down  near  the  shore  as  the  sea  advanced  landward.  T'aeir  phosphatic 
nature  is  thought  to  be  due  mainly  to  the  fragments  of  organic  matter  that 
constitute  so  large  a  portion  of  their  mass,  though  it  may  be  due  in  part  to 
the  droppings  of  marine  animals. 

"As  t'he  phosphatic  rocks  of  Northern  Arkansas  are  usually  covered  by 
soil  where  they  outcrop  on  the  hillside,  a  few  suggestions  to  prospectors  in 
search  of  these  beds  may  b*e  of  advantage. 

"As  one  passes  up  the  hillside  of  the  deeper  valleys  in  western  Independ- 
ence County  he  goes  first  over  a  compact,  gray  to  dove  colored,  brittle  lime- 
stone, that  breaks  easily  under  the  blows  of  the  hammer.  This  is  the  Izard 
limestone.  Above  this  is  a  coarsely  crystalline  limestone,  light  gray  at  the 


122  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


bottom,  but  growing  darker  toward  the  top,  until  the  upper  portion  is  at 
some  places  almost  chocolate  colored.  This  is  the  Polk  Bayou  limestone. 
It  is  at  the  top  of  t'his  limestone  that  the  phosphate  of  the  locality  occurs. 
In  case  the  St.  Clair  limestone  is  present  it  will  be  found  above  the  phos- 
phate; if  not  the  Boone  chert  (possibly  the  St.  Joe  marble)  will  be  found 
above  it.  It  is  useless  to  look  for  phosphate  above  the  base  of  the  Boone 
chert  or  above  ttie  top  of  the  Polk  Bayou  limestone.  Fragments  of  man- 
ganese ore,  which  are  easily  recognized  and  always  conspicuous  when  pres- 
ent, are  good  indications  of  the  phosphate  horizon,  as  the  two  are  closely 
associated.  Of  course  it  must  be  remembered  that  loose  material  works 
its  way  down  hill,  so  that  only  the  upper  limit  of  the  material  here  described 
marks  the  position  of  the  phosphate  beds." 

Other  Deposits  of   Phosphate. 

From  Bulletin  No.  74,  Arkansas  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  1902, 
by  John  C.  Branner  and  J.  F.  Newsom,  the  following  is  quoted: 

"The  second  region  in  which  phosphate  rocks  occur  in  the  State  of 
Arkansas  has  been  indicated  as  the  Cretaceous  area  of  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  State.  But  little  is  known  of  the  exact  extent,  thickness  or 
richness  of  the  phosphate  beds  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In  some  of 
the  beds  there  are  bands  of  black  pebbles  which  were  formerly  regarded 
as  chert  of  quartz;  a  chemical  examination  of  these  pebbles,  however,  show 
that  many  of  them  are  phosphate  nodules.  Such  bands  may  be  seen  in  the 
rocks  exposed  on  Deciper  Creek,  west  of  Arkadelphia,  in  Clark  county. 
These  pebbles  have  not  been  seen  in  quantities  sufficiently  abundant  to 
make  the  deposits  valuable,  but  an  examination  of  the  Cretaceous  rocks 
with  these  facts  in  view  may  lead  to  the  discovery  of  such  deposits. 

"Another  possible  source  of  p'hosphates  in  the  Cretaceous  area  of 
southwest  Arkansas  is  to  be  found  in  the  green  sands  marls.  Some  of  these 
marls  are  verjr  like  those  of  New  Jersey,  and  are,  in  all  probability,  avail- 
able for  the  same  purposes  as  those  for  which  they  have  long  been  so 
extensively  and  successfully  used  in  New  Jersey,  namely,  for  direct  applica- 
tion as  fertilizers  to  the  soil.  No  thorough  practical  test,  however,  has 
been  made  of  the  Arkansas  greensands. 

"Conglomerate  beds  are  known  in  the  Ouachita  uplift,  which  bear  so 
striking  a  resemblance  to  the  Sylamore  sandstone  that  they  are  scarcely 
to  be  distinguished  in  hand-specimens.  The  only  apparent  difference  is 
that  the  Ouachita  uplift  specimens  appear  to  be  a  little  more  crystalline  or 
metamorphosed.  On  account  of  the  crushing  of  the  rocks  throughout  this 
southern  area  this  was  to  be  expected.  Owing  to  the  folded,  faulted  and  met- 
amorphosed condition  of  the  rocks  in  this  region  and  the  almost  total  absence 
of  fossils,  it  cannot  be  positively  stated  whether  or  not  these  conglomerates 
are  the  equivalents  of  the  Sylamore  sandstone  of  North  Arkansas. 

"Specimens  of  this  conglomerate  have  been  seen  from  several  places 
north  and  south  of  the  city  of  Hot  Springs,  but  an  analysis  of  one  of  these 
specimens  did  not  show  it  to  be  rich  enough  in  phosphoric  acid  to  have  any 
value. 

"In  the  region  of  the  Lower  Coal  Measures  rocks  in  ttie  vicinity  of  Amity, 
Clark  county,  a  conglomerate  found  by  Dr.  George  H.  Ashley,  resembles 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  123 


the  phosphate  rock  somewhat;  but  a  chemical  examination  of  one  sample  of 
it  showed  it  to  contain  only  about  9  per  cent  of  calcium  phosphate. 
Further  search  in  the  neighborhood  of  Amity  may  lead  to  the  discovery  of 
richer  deposits. 

''The  whole  area  over  which  the  phosphate  beds  occur  or  are  to  be 
expected,  has  not  been  examined,  and  it  is  not  known,  therefore,  how  much 
the  materials  vary  in  character  and  composition.  Judging  from  what  is 
already  known  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  better  deposits  than 
any  thus  far  found  may  yet  be  discovered." 

"The  point,  however,  to  which  we  would  direct  especial  attention/'  says 
Doctor  Branner,  is  that  all  of  these  rocks,  even  those  running  high  in  iron 
and  aluminia,  may  be  used  directly  as  fertilizers.  This  is  a  fact  of  the  first 
importance  to  the  owners  of  phosphate  lands  and  to  the  farmers  of  the  south." 

REFERENCES. 

Itrnmier.  .John  C. — Lead  and  Zinc.  Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geol.  Survey, 
1892.  Vol.  V. 

Brnnner,  John  C.  and  Newsonu  J,  P. — The  phosphate  rocks  of  Arkansas. 
Bulletin  No.  74,  Arkansas  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  ]902;  Review,  En- 
gineering" and  Mining  Journal,  Abstract  25. 

The  phosphate  deposits  of  Arkansas.  Transactions  of  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers,  1896,  Vol.  XXVI,  1896. 

Arkansas  phosphate  rocks.  Arkansas  Democrat,  semi-weekly,  Little 
Rock,  November  3,  1901;  Harrison  Times,  Harrison,  Arkansas,  January  18,  1902. 

Purdue,  A.  H. — Developed  phosphate  deposits  of  northern  Arkansas.  Bul- 
letin No.  315;  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1907. 

Memmin&er,  C.  G. — Phosphate  rock  in  Arkansas.  Mineral  Industry,  Vol. 
XI,  New  York,  1903. 

Stone,  Ralph  w. — Phosphate  Rock  in  1918.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Mineral  Re- 
sources of  the  United  States,  1918. 

Waggaman,  Wm.  H. — A  report  on  the  natural  phosphates  of  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  and  Arkansas.  Bulletin  No.  81,  United  States  Department  of  Ag- 
riculture, Bureau  of  Soils,  Washington,  1912. 

Owen,  David  Dale. — First  Report  of  a  Geol.  Reconnaissance  in  the  north- 
ern counties  of  Arkansas,  1858. 

Penrose,  R.  A.  F.,  Jr. — Nature  and  origin  of  deposits  of  phosphate  of  lime. 
Bui.  46,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1886.  (Contains  bibliography). 

Hopkins,  T.  C. — Marbles.  Annual  Report  Arkansas  Geol.  Survey,  1890, 
Vol.  IV, 

Ulrieh,  E.  O. — Zinc  and  L,ead.  Prof.  Paper,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  No  24 
1904. 


Potash  From  Leucite  Rock. 

During  the  world  war  F.  C.  Calkins  of  the  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  examined 
the  deposits  of  leucite  rock  in  the  Magnet  Cove  district  of  Arkansas  with 
special  reference  to  their  possible  utilization  as  a  source  of  potash,  but  with 
the  cessation  pf  'hostilities  the  European  supply  again  became  available  and 
no  development  work  was  undertaken.  The  leucite  rock  is  one  of  the  many 
sources  of  potash  which  can  be  made  use  of  in  this  country,  but  the  difficulty 
of  recovering  the  potash  from  this  material  renders  it  of  little  economic  value 
in  competition  with  the  richer  and  more  easily  obtained  potash  of  Germany 
and  France  on  our  markets. 


124  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Precious  Stones. 

Besides  diamonds,  pearls  and  quartz  crystals,  which  are  treated  under 
separate  headings,  the  Arkansas  list  of  precious  stones  includes  amethysts, 
rare  but  found  occasionally  in  Montgomery  and  Yell  counties;  turquois  or 
variscite,  found  in  veins  of  quartz  and  in  concretionary  patches  in  dolomites 
in  Montgomery  county; garnets,  in  Magnet  Cove;  false  topaz,  Hot  Spring 
County;  sunstone,  pink  or  gray,  in  Magnet  Cove;  wavelite,  the  latter  found 
also  in  Magnec  Cove;  opal,  about  the  ancient  hot  springs  in  Saline  and  Hot 
Spring  counties;  jasper  of  various  colors,  in  Montgomery  and  Polk  counties; 
and  agate,  finely  variegated,  in  Montgomery  county. 

REFERENCES. 

Kim/.,  George  Frederick. — Gems  and  precious  stones  of  North  America 
Second  edition,  New  York,  1892.  Quartz  crystals,  pp.  110-111;  novaculite,  122- 
lodestone,  192;  titanite,  T94;  Arkansite,  194. 


Quartz  Crystals. 

Quartz  crystals  of  wonderful  lustre  and  form  are  found  in  many  parts 
of  Arkansas,  notably  in  the  vicinity  of  Hot  Springs,  in  the  Crystal  Mountains, 
which  it  is  said  has  furnished  some  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  quartz 
crystals  in  the  world.  Cavities  in  the  rocks  are  beautifully  coated  with 
these  sparkling  gems,  many  of  them  of  rare  color  and  shape;  some  of  them 
with  liquid  cavities.  They  are  non-mineral  bearing  and  are  valuable  chiefly 
a&  curios  or  ornaments,  being  known  as  "Hot  Springs  Diamonds"  because 
of  their  manufacture  into  trinkets  and  jewelry  for  sale  as  souvenirs  to 
visitors  at  Arkansas'  famous  health  resort.  Clear,  limpid  specimens  are 
found  at  Delaney  in  Madison  County  and  in  Crystal  Mountain  near  Womble, 
Montgomery  county. 

REFERENCES. 

Report    Arkansas   r.rolotfiral  Survey,  Vol.   I.    18X2.   pp.    113,   128,   28<*. 


Rectorite. 

A  peculiar  form  of  kaolinite,  to  which  the  name  rectorite  has  been 
given,  is  found  in  Saline  County.  This  material  is  tough  and  leathery, 
but  it  has  the  smooth  soap  feel  so  characteristic  of  the  kaolins  and  of  steatite. 
It  occurs  in  association  with  the  Carboniferous  sandstones  of  the  region,  but 
the  deposits,  so  far  as  is  known,  are  only  about  a  foot  thick. 

Rectorite,  as  it  comes  from  the  ground,  ranges  in  color  from  pure  white 
to  reddish  brown.  The  sheets  are  very  flexible  but  entirely  without  elas- 
ticity. It  is  infusible  before  the  blow  pipe,  but  when  heated  in  the  flame  of 
a  Bunsen  burner  it  loses  water  and  becomes  brittle.  Specimens  were  sent 
to  the  ceramic  works  to  be  tested  practically,  and  the  following  report 
was  made  on  the  results  by  Homer  Laughlin  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio: 

"The  sample  of  what  you  call  kaolinite  sent  me  was  duly  received  and 
carefully  examined  and  tested  under  fire.  The  mineral  is  neither  kaolin 
nor  kaolinite,  but  just  what  it  should  be  called,  I  am  unable  to  say,  never 
in  all  my  experience  having  seen  any  mineral  of  this  kind.  Unlike  kaolin, 
it  will  not  dissolve  in  water.  It  burns  a  white  color  and  becomes  very  vitreous 
and  strong.  It  cannot  be  finished  with  a  smooth  face  or  skin,  but  roughs 


* 


126  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


up  like  a  blotting  pad.  It  is  certainly  a  very  interesting  and  curious  mineral, 
but  I  think  of  no  use  for  it  in  ceramic  manufacture  unless  it  could,  after 
experiments,  be  made  into  novel  ornaments." 

References 

Brainier,  .John  C*. — The  Clays  of  Arkansas.  Bulletin  315,  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey. 

Hr.-u'ketl,  K.  \.  niid  \Viilinnis,  .1,  F.--Xe\vtonite  and  Itectorite.  Amer. 
Jour.  Sci..  CXL.TI.  11 -:M.  18SM. 


Road  Making  Materials  In  Arkansas. 


By    John    C.    Branner, 


It  is  not  ray  object  to  point  out  the  importance  of  good  roads;  but  simply 
to  call  attention  to  the  materials  that  should  be  avoided  and  the  materials 
that  should  be  used  when  we  come  to  the  actual  work  of  road  construction. 
It  is  also  assumed  that  whenever  road  building  is  taken  up  seriously, 
properly  informed  road  engineers  will  have  the  laying  out  of  the  routes  and 
the  determination  of  the  details  of  grades,  curves,  drainage,  cross  section 
and  methods  of  construction,  for  unless  these  details  be  looked  after  by 
those  whose  business  it  is  to  know  about  and  to  attend  to  them,  no  attempt  at 
road  building  is  likely  to  be  satisfactory  or  more  than  half  successful. 

The  rocks  of  the  State  are  the  State's  road  making  materials.  In  some 
places  these  rocks  lie  in  their  original  unbroken  beds,  in  others  they  are 
more  or  less  shattered  or  broken  up  into  talus  or  gravels,  or  they  have  been 
rolled  in  the  beds  of  streams  and  worn  into  more  or  less  round  pebbles. 
But  the  gravels  and  pebbles  are  derived  directly  from  the  beds  of  hard  rocks, 
and  therefore  had  the  same  general  distribution  as  the  strata  from  which 
they  are  derived.  This  distribution  of  road-making  materials  therefore 
depends  upon  {he  distribution  of  the  various  kinds  of  rocks,  and  this  depends 
upon  the  geology  of  the  State,  so  that  a  map  showing  in  detail  the  distri- 
bution of  the  various  kinds  of  road-making  materials  would  be,  to  a  certain 
extent,  a  geological  map. 

The  road  builder  often  has  to  make  his  roads  of  whatever  he  finds  at 
hand,  but  it  often  happens  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  rock  equally 
convenient,  and  that  he  can  use  one  just  as  well  as  the  other.  It  is  of 
great  importance  in  such  cases  that  he  should  know  which  to  choose,  for, 
as  I  shall  point  out.  some  rocks  are  altogether  unfit  for  such  use,  and  It  is 
just  as  important  to  avoid  poor  materials  as  it  is  to  use  good  ones. 

It  is  intended  to  speak  in  this  paper,  however,  only  of  the  materials 
adapted  to  making  the  surface  or  top  dressing,  or  "metal",  as  it  is  often  called, 
of  common  roads  or  turnpikes.  Many  elements  of  course  go  to  making  up 
a  good  road,  but  even  with  the  proper  drainage,  cross  section,  foundation 
and  grade,  without  a  proper  surface  the  road  must  always  be  a  poor  one, 
besides  being  expensive  to  maintain.  When  the  Telford  system  is  used 
almost  any  hard  rock  will  answer  for  the  bed  rock  of  the  roadway,  but  only 
a  few  kinds  of  rock  are  fit  to  be  used  as  dressing  or  road  metal. 

It  is  proposed,  therefore,  to  point  out  the  advantages  of  the  materials 
of  the  State  that  might  be  utilized  for  such  purposes,  and  to  call  attention 
to  other  materials  that  have  been,  or  are  liable  to  be  used,  but  which  are 
judged  to  be  objectionable. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  127 


Inferior  Materials 

For  top  dressing  of  turnpikes  or  road  metal  any  and  all  materials  that 
grind  up  quickly  under  traffic,  forming  dust  in  dry  weather  or  mud  in  wet 
weather,  must  be  regarded  as  objectionable.  Such  materials  have  certain 
advantages  for  first  construction  in  being  more  easily  prepared,  and  there 
is  therefore  so  much  more  reason  for  guarding  against  them.  Materials 
to  be  a-voided  for  such  purposes  are: 

1.  The  argillaceous  or  clay  shales. 

2.  Limestones, 

3.  Syenites  or  "granites." 

4.  Clean  sandstone. 

1.  Argillaceous  Shales.     The  term  shale  is  unfortunately  not  in  common 
use  among  the  people;  what  geologists  call  shale  is  often  known  as  "slate"  or 
"soapstone."     The  rock  is  made  of  clay  and  hardened;    when   the   clay  is 
pure  the  rock  is  known  as  argillaceous  shale,  and  w*hen  it  contains  consider- 
able sand  it  in  known  as  arenaceous  or  sandy  shale.     These  shales  vary 
somewhat  in  color;  some  of  them  are  very  black,  others  are  gray  and  others 
are  of  reddish  color. 

For  road  building  purposes  the  shales  may  be  divided  into  two  classes — 
clay  shales  and  sandy  shales. 

The  clay  shales  are  entirely  unfit  for  such  purposes;  the  sandy  shales 
are  the  only  ones  that  should  be  used  for  the  top  dressing.  The  reason  of 
this  is  that  sooner  or  latter  the  rocks  are  crushed  and  ground  up,  and  that 
which  is  mado  of  clay  only  forms  a  fine  dust  when  dry  and  a  pasty  sticky 
mud  when  wet.  The  arenaceous  or  sandy  shales,  on  the  other  hand,  contain 
so  much  grit  that  they  usually  pack  hard  and  make  a  firm  roadbed. 

The  argillaceous  shales  are  not  confined  to  any  particular  geologic 
horizon,  but  may  occur  with  the  rocks  of  any  age  from  the  Silurian  to  the 
Tertiary.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  the  formation  that  I  have  called 
the  Eureka  shale  is  a  black  or  green  clay  shale.  In  and  south  of  the  Boston 
Mountains,  and  throughout  the  Coal  Measures  area  of  the  State  such  shales 
are  common,  and  they  also  abound  in  the  Silurian  area  about  Hot  Springs, 
and  between  Hot  Springs  and  Dallas,  Polk  county,  though  they  by  no  means 
form  the  only,  or  even  the  greatest  part  of  the  rocks  of  the  area  mentioned. 

2.  Limestone.     Limestone   was   formerly   regarded   as   one   of   the  best 
rocks  for  top  dressing,  and  it  has  been  extensively  used  for    such  purposes, 
but  it  has  proved  very  unsatisfactory  in  the  long  run,  and  in  many  parts 
of  the  country  the  limestone  macadamized  roads  are  being  taken  up  and 
reconstructed  of  more   satisfactory  materials.     The   rock   wears   easy   into 
an  impalpable  powder  when  dry  and  forms  a  sticky  paste  when  wet.     Hard 
limestone  makes  an  excellent  roadbed, but  it  should  never  be  used  for  sur- 
face dressing.     There  is  a  temptation  to  use  limestone  for  such  purposes 
because  they  are  easily  broken  and  pack  readily  on  account  of  their  friability. 
But  t'liey  wear  out  with  equal  readiness,  and  soon  require  repairing.     The 
limestones   of   the   state   are   most   abundant   in   the    region    north    of    the 
Boston  Mountains  and  west  of  the  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and  Southern 
Railway.     There    are   a    few    patches   of   limestone    in    ravines    heading    on 
the  south  side  of  the  Boston  Mountains   and  in  Garland  and  Montgomery 
counties,  and  some  in  Clark.  Hempstead,  Sevier  and  Little  River  counties. 


128  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  soft  chalky  limestones  found  in  Hempstead  and  Little  River  counties 
are  especially  objectionable  for  road-making. 

3.  Syenite  or  "Granite."     It  has  been  inferred  that  because  the  Little 
Rock  syenite  makes  good  paving  blocks  and  excellent  building  stone  it  must 
make  good  surface  metal  when  crushed.     This,  however,  is  not  altogether 
true.     About  80  per  cent  of  the  Little  Rock  syenite  is  feldspar.     When  this 
feldspar  decays,  or  when  it  is  finely  powdered,  it  forms  clay  or  kaolin.     Now 
everyone  knows  that  clay  should  not  be  used  as  a  top  dressing  for  roads, 
for  when  dry  it  forms  a  fine  dust  and  when  wet  it  forms  mud,  both  of  which 
are  objectionable   both  on  their  own  account   and   because  they  mark  the 
beginning  of  the  destruction  of  the  roadway.     While,  therefore,  syenite  may 
make  a  good  dressing  for  a  short  time,  it  must  of  necessity  soon  break  down 
into  objectionable  decay.       It  is  a  good  rock,  however,  for  roadbed.     The 
area  of  feldspathic  rocks  in  the  state  covers  about  thirteen   square  miles 
altogether.     They  are  confined  to  Pulaski.  Saline  and  Hot  Spring  counties, 
with  a  few  small  dikes  in  Garland.  Montgomery  and  a  few  other  counties. 

4.  Sandstone.     As  a  rule  sandstone  is  not  a  good  road-making  rock,  but 
if  road  builders  will  observe  the  behavior  of  sandstones  of  different  varieties 
they  will  find  that  some  of  them  make  fairly  good  roadbeds,  while  others  do 
not.    This  difference  is  due  to  the  absence  or  presence  of  a  binding  material, 
and  no  more  specific  directions  can  be  suggested  than  that  clean,  sandstone, 
or  sandstones  containing  no  binding  materials,  such  as  lime,  clay  or  iron, 
should  not   be  used  for  surface  metals. 

Superior  Metals. 

What  kind  of  rock  makes  the  best  road  metal?  Road  engineers  gener- 
ally seek  the  hardest  rock  they  can  find,  and  the  principle  is  generally,  but 
not  always  a  correct  one.  The  object  to  be  sought  is  a  hard,  smooth  road 
surface,  that  will  not  grind  or  cut  readily  under  wheels  so  as  to  make  dust  or 
mud.  But  one  of  our  hardest  Arkansas  rocks,  the  so-called  granite,  is  not 
as  good  for  such  purposes  as  the  softer  argillaceous  shales,  because  the  feld- 
spar which  makes  the  great  bulk  of  the  granite,  soon  breaks  down  into 
kaolin — one  of  the  stickiest  kinds  of  mud.  In  the  main,  however,  the  method 
of  seeking  the  hardest  rock  is  the  correct  one.  In  North  Arkansas,  for 
example,  there  are  four  great  classes  of  rocks:  The  limestones,  sandstones, 
shales  and  cherts.  Of  these  the  chert  (commonly  known  as  flint)  is  by 
far  the  hardest  and  the  best  for  road  making. 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  all  rocks  harden  when  exposed  4to  the  weather. 
This  is  far  from  being  true  of  all  rocks,  though  it  is  true  of  some  of  them. 
Syenite,  for  example,  decomposes  when  exposed,  as  do  many  other  rocks 
which  contain  soluble  constituents. 

It  should,  moreover,  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  undertake  to 
make  good  roads  that  the  arrangement  of  the  materials  is  of  as  much  import- 
ance as  the  materials  themselves.  An  authority  on  this  subject  covers  the 
case  exactly  when  he  says  that  "a  common  gravel  sieve  often  constitutes 
the  principal  instrument  whose  judicious  use  will  make  a  good  road  out 
of  a  miserable  string  of  ruts  and  cobbly  elevations.  It  would  be  only 
necessary  to  sift  out  and  separate  the  soil  under  the  road  to  a  sufficient 
depth  into  cobbles,  coarse  gravel,  fine  gravel  and  sand;  then  replace 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  129 


them  in  the  order  named,  and  with  the  proper  thickness  of  layers  of  each; 
wet  down  and  roll,  and  the  result  will  be  a  good  road. 

The  materials  best  adapted  for  road  making,  and  having  anything 
like  a  wide  distribution  in  Arkansas,  are: 

A.  Arenaceous  shales. 

B.  Chert,  of  "flint  rock." 

C.  Novaculite. 

D.  Gravels. 

The  useful  materials  mentioned  above  belong  to  different  geologic 
formations,  and  are  to  be  looked  for  only  within  the  areas  covered  by  the 
formations  to  which  they  are  confined,  or  where  such  materials  have  been 
carried  by  streams  into  adjacent  areas. 

A.  Arenaceous  of  Sandy  Shales.     The  arenaceous  shales  abound  in  the 
Lower  Coal  Measures  of  the  state  in  the  region  south  of  tSie  north  face  of 
the   Boston   Mountains,   north   of   the   Fourche   and    Petit  Jean   Mountains, 
and  west  of  the  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and  Southern  Railway.     This  region 
contains  sandstones  and  clay  shales  as  well  as  sandy  shales,  but  as  a  rule 
Ihe   sandy   shales    are   very   widespread    through   it.     One    needs    to    guard 
against  the  clay  shales  in  this  region,  for  they  are  about  as  abundant  as  the 
sandy  shales,  and  the  two  often  grade  into  each  other  imperceptibly.     The 
difference    between    clay    shale    and    sandy    shale    is    that    the    former    is 
comparatively  free  from  sand  or  grit,  while  the  latter  is  a  mixture  of  sand 
with  a  certain  amount  of  clay.     They  can  be  readily  distinguished  by  cutting 
with  a  knife.     A   knife  will  cut  clay  shale   as   readily   and    smoothly  as  if 
it  were  a  piece  of  soap  or  stearine,  but  when  a  sandy  shale  is  cut  the  knife 
blade  catches  and  grates  disagreeably  upon  sand  grains. 

In  some  of  the  counties  within  the  Coal  Measures  sandy  shales  pre- 
dominate, while  in  others  the  shales  are  chiefly  argillaceous.  In  Cleburne 
county,  for  example,  the  sandy  shales  cover  a  large  part  of  the  uplands  of 
the  county,  and  good  road-building  materials  are  abundant  and  convenient 
almost  all  over  the  county.  These  shales  are  often  more  or  less  micaceous, 
and  for  this  reason  they  have  been  regarded  as  gold  and  silver-bearing,  and 
some  prospecting  has  been  done  upon  them.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say 
that  these  sandstones  and  shales  contain  neither  gold  nor  silver.  If  properly 
utilized,  however,  they  may  yet  prove  of  great  value  to  the  people  of  that 
county  as  a  road-making  material.  These  shales  usually  occur  imbedded 
with  sandstones.  In  the  process  of  weathering  the  shales  break  down 
first,  leaving  the  sandstones  as  the  topographic  prominences,  forming  sharp 
ridges  or  capping  flat-topped  mountains  or  hills.  In  regions  where  the 
rocks  are  horizontally  bedded  the  shales  may  therefore  be  looked  for  below 
the  ledges  of  sandstone;  but  in  regions  in  which  the  rocks  have  been  folded 
the  sandstone  will  be  found  to  form  the  crests  of  ridges,  while  the  shales 
will  be  found  in  the  valleys.  Some  of  the  sandy  shales  contain  a  considerable 
percentage  of  lime  or  iron,  and  either  of  these  substances  acts  as  a  cement, 
and  makes  a  hard,  smooth  roadway.  In  order  to  prepare  this  material  for 
top  dressing  it  has  to  be  quarried  out  and  crushed.  It  is  comparatively  soft, 
however,  and  not  nearly  so  hard  to  crush  as  syenite  or  sandstone. 

B.  The  Chert  or  "Flint  Rock."     Chert  or  flint  is  one  of  the  hardest  of 
rocks,  but  it  doesn't  usually  occur  in  considerable  quantities  in  its  original 
beds,  but  is  everywhere  mixed  with  more  or  less  lime,  so  that  beds  of  pure 


130  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


chert  often  grade  into  pure  limestones  or  marbles.  The  cherts  (in  place) 
in  this  state  arc  confined  to  the  area  lying  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains  and 
west  of  the  Iron  Mountain  Railway.  Not  all  of  this  area,  however,  contains 
chert  beds.  There  are  two  horizons  at  which  it  occurs  in  large  quantities — 
the  first  is  that  of  the  Boone  chert  and  cherty  limestone  lying  at  or  near 
the  base  of  the  Carboniferous  series  of  rocks;  the  second  is  the  great  chert 
bed  lying  far  below  the  Boone  chert,  geologically  speaking,  and  exposed 
in  the  counties  through  which  the  upper  White  River  flows.  The  Boone 
chert  (in  place)  begins  in  Independence  county,  just  west  of  the  Black  River, 
and  near  Dota  post  office,  about  five  miles  northeast  of  Sulphur  Rock. 
It  forms  a  bolt  of  ragged  edges  from  five  to  fifteen  miles  wide,  crossing 
the  state  from  this  point  past  Cushman,  Mountain  View,  Marshall,  St.  Joe, 
Harrison  and  Eureka  Springs,  and  forming  the  greater  part  of  the  surface 
of  Benton  county.  Without  a  large  map  it  is  impossible  to  show  the  precise 
distribution  of  this  Boone  chert  through  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 
Nothing  more  can  be  attempted  here,  therefore,  than  call  attention  to 
the  material  and  its  general  distribution.  The  Boone  chert,  as  a  geological 
horizon,  is  made  up  of  both  cherts  and  limestones,  and  these  elements 
mingle  in  the  formations  in  various  proportions.  When  the  chert  is  exposed 
to  the  weather,  it  decomposes  slightly,  the  lime  in  it  being  dissolved  out, 
sometimes  leaving  the  chert  rather  spongy.  The  "Ridge  roads"  through  all 
the  chert  region  of  the  state  bear  witness  to  the  great  value  of  this  chert  as  a 
road-making  material.  These  roads,  though  seldom  or  never  repaired,  are 
hard,  compact,  dry  and  free  from  mud  and  dust  all  the  year  round.  The 
gravelly  roads  on  the  hills  about  Eureka  Springs  are  all  of  this  Boone  chert. 
The  best  roads  in  Benton,  Carroll,  Boone,  Marion  and  Searcy  counties  are  on 
this  same  formation.  All  through  these  chert  regions  the  beds  of  the  streams 
are  filled  in  places  to  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet  with  the  accumulated  small  frag- 
ments of  chert,  most  of  which  is  in  a  suitable  condition  for  immediate  use  for 
road  building. 

The  chert;  beds  that  occur  in  the  Silurian  rocks  of  north  Arkansas  are 
geologically  much  lower  than  the  Boone  chert,  and  lie  to  the  north  of  the 
Boone  chert  area.  They  crop  out  along  the  stream  bluffs  through  Randolph, 
Sharp,  Fulton,  Izard  and  Baxter  counties,  and  large  quantities  of  the  broken 
fragments  accumulate  in  the  beds  of  streams  where  they  are  often  in 
excellent  condition  for  road  material. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  chert  it  may  be  well  to  call  attention 
to  the  extensive  and  increasing  use  of  this  material  for  road  making  in 
southwest  Missouri,  the  refuse  from  the  zinc  mines  of  Jasper  county  being 
utilized  for  such  purposes. 

C.  Novaculite.  Novaculite  is  very  like  chert,  both  in  composition  and 
in  its  behavior  as  a  road-making  material.  It  occurs,  however,  only  in  the 
hilly  region  lying  south  of  the  Coal  Measures,  where  it  forms  the  Zigzag 
Mountains  about  Hot  Springs  and  the  great  Ouachita  Mountain  system 
south  of  the  Ouachita  River,  extending  from  Rockport,  Hot  Spring  county, 
nearly  to  Oklahoma  west  of  Dallas,  Polk  county.  It  is  from  this  series  of 
rocks  that  the  famous  Arkansas  whetstones  come. 

The  novaculite  is  usually  much  shattered  and  fractured  as  it  lies, 
and,  being  for  the  most  part  a  brittle  rock,  it  may  readily  be  broken  when 
it  is  not  already  small  enough  to  be  used  without  crushing.  Like  the  chert, 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  131 


it  accumulates  in  vast  quantities  in  the  beds  of  streams  and  in  narrow 
valleys,  and  it  is  from  these  local  accumulations  that  the  materials  can  be 
had  most  conveniently  for  road  making. 

D.  The  Gravels.  Siliceous  gravels  have  always  been  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  kinds  of  road-making  materials.  They  have  this  considerable 
advantage  ov«r  prepared  macadam  that  they  require  no  crushing,  and  are 
therefore  cheaper,  while  they  have  been  partially  sorted  by  the  waters 
which  transported  them  to  where  they  are  found.  In  many  of  the  northern 
states  the  gravel  beds  of  the  glacial  drift  have  furnished  excellent  road- 
making  materials  for  the  entire  states.  Here  in  Arkansas  there  is  no 
glacial  drift,  properly  speaking,  but  there  are  extensive  and  widespread 
beds  of  gravel  that  are  equally  good.  These  gravel  beds  occur  at  various 
places  along  the  immediate  valley  of  the  Arkansas  River  from  Fort  Smith 
to  Pine  Bluff  They  are  often  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  present 
river  (at  Dublin,  Logan  county,  they  are  160  feet;  at  Little  Rock  they  rise 
to  a  height  of  140  feet  above  the  river),  but  they  never  reach  the  highest 
hills.  The  gravels  found  along  the  river  are  generally  mixed  with  more  or 
less  clay,  but  they  may  be  looked  for  washed  clean  of  such  clay  in  the  streams 
across  the  gravel  bed,  while  some  cheap  method  of  washing  and  screening 
the  gravelly  clays  will  yield  large  quantities  of  excellent  road  metal  at 
Little  Rock  rnd  in  many  other  parts  of  the  state. 

It  may  prove  worth  while  to  seek  water-worn  gravels  in  the  bed  of  the 
Arkansas  River  at  such  places  where  the  current  is  swift  enough  to  carry 
away  the  clay  and  sand.  When  found  at  such  places  they  can  be  dredged 
just  as  sand  is  now  dredged  at  Little  Rock.  The  gravels  obtained  from  the 
bed  of  the  river,  however,  are  open  to  the  objection  that  they  will  not  pack 
so  readily  or  so  hard  as  those  taken  from  the  land.  The  reason  for  this  is 
that  there  is  enough  iron  associated  with  the  gravel  beds  on  land  to  cement 
them  when  they  are  packed  on  the  road,  while  the  same  material  when  found 
in  the  bed  of  the  river  is  comparatively  free  from  the  iron  and  clay,  and 
incapable  therefore  of  packing  promptly  and  firmly  unless  mixed  with  some 
other  material.  The  materials  of  the  river  have  also  generally  been  brought 
so  far  that  the  softer  fragments  have  been  worn  out  and  only  the  very  hard 
ones  remain,  and  these  resist  crushing  and  binding.  A  little  sandy  clay 
mixed  with  such  gravel  will  generally  cause  it  to  bind  properly. 

The  material  composing  the  Arkansas  gravels  referred  to  under  this 
head  is  principally  chert.  It  has  been  washed  down  the  streams  flowing 
into  the  Arkansas  from  northwestern  Arkansas  and  southwestern  Missouri, 
which  fact  accounts  for  its  being  found  all  along  the  Arkansas  Valley.  Its 
wide  distribution  across  the  valley  is  due  to  the  meanderings  and  channel 
changes  of  th«3  Arkansas  River  and  to  the  ancient  floods  of  that  stream. 

Beds  of  gravel  having  a  similar  origin  occur  along  White  and  Black 
Rivers  in  north  Arkansas,  and  follow  the  flood  plains  of  those  streams. 
Just  north  of  Sulphur  Rock,  in  Independence  county,  the  water-worn  materials 
«ap  the  hills  250  feet  above  White  River.  Further  up  the  river  these  gravel 
deposits  occur  bere  and  there  as  isolated  patches  on  the  slopes  of  the 
inner  curves  of  the  large  streams,  often  high  above  the  present  water  level. 

Through  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  the  gravels  have  a  wide  and 
even  distribution  in  the  geologic  sense,  though  for  practical  purposes 
their  distribution  is  local  rather  than  general.  Along  Crowley's  Ridge  they 


132  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


are  often  found  concentrated  in  vast  quantities  in  the  beds  of  streams  that 
flow  from  the  ridge,  as  for  example  the  Little  Crow  Creek  near  Madison, 
St.  Francis  county,  where  they  are  convenient  to  railway  transportation  and 
offer  abundant  and  excellent  material  for  road  building  through  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state,  where  such  material  is  scarce,  except  in  those  favored 
localities  along  Crowley's  Ridge. 

About  Little  Rock  such  gravels  are  mingled  'with  sands  and  clays  that 
cover  almost  all  the  ground  upon  which  the  city  is  built.  In  those  parts 
of  the  state  lying  southwest  of  Little  Rock  these  gravels  are  of  novaculite, 
and  were  derived  from  the  region  of  novaculite  lying  between  Little  Rock 
and  Dallas,  in  Polk  county.  Along  what  was  once  the  old  shore  line  upon 
which  they  were  worn,  and  stretching  from  Little  Rock  past  Benton,  Malvern, 
Arkadelphia,  Murfreesboro,  Nashville,  Center  Point  and  Lockesburg  to  Ultima 
Thule,  these  gravels  form  extensive  beds,  in  places  twenty  feet  or  more  in 
thickness,  while  to  the  south  of  this  line  they  become  gradually  finer  and 
less  abundant  until  in  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  the  state  they  occur 
in  patches,  and  the  individual  pebbles  are  of  small  size.  As  in  other  cases, 
they  are  often  concentrated  along  small  streams  and  in  narrow  valleys 
About  Nashville  and  Center  Point,  in  Howard  county,  gravels  of  this  type 
are  widely  distributed,  making  good  natural  roads  over  much  of  the  higher 
ground  of  that  and  adjoining  counties. 

In  some  cases  gravel  is  better  than  crushed  rock;  in  others  the  reverse 
is  true;  but  what  this  difference  is  will  depend  upon  the  characters  of 
the  two  kinds  of  rocks  used.  Gravel  is  not  fit  to  be  used  unless  it  is  sorted 
or  mixed  with  other  binding  materials  and  rolled  with  clays  so  as  to  insure 
it  packing  hard  and  firm.  Loose  smooth  gravels,  that  slip  upon  each  other 
and  allow  the  wheels  to  sink  in  the  roadway,  should  never  be  used  in  that 
condition. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Arkansas  is  well  supplied  with  good  road  materials 
except  in  the  alluvial  bottom  lands  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  and 
even  there  gravel  available  for  such  purposes  may  often  be  found  in  the 
stream  beds.  The  road-making  materials  of  the  novaculite  region  and 
of  the  chert  region  of  the  north  are  as  good  as  one  can  reasonably  ask  for — 
indeed,  they  r.re  about  as  good  as  materials  in  their  natural  condition  can 
be — while  the  gravels  of  the  central  and  southwestern  parts  of  the  state  are 
excellent  and  pufficiently  abundant.  In  many  parts  of  the  state  road-making 
materials  are  so  good,  so  abundant,  and  so  widespread  that  lack  of  them 
can  never  be  an  excuse  for  bad  roads. 

Publications    on   Road-Iluildiiipr    Materials 

travel  Deposits  of  the  Caddo  Gap  and  De  Queen  Quadrangles,  Arkansas, 
by  Hugh  D.  Miser  and  A.  H.  Purdue.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bulletin  No.  690 — B, 
1918. 

Annual  report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Arkansas  for  1890.  Vol.  II. 
Whetstones  and  the  Novaculites  of  Arkansas,  by  L,.  S.  Griswold. 


Salt. 

At  present  no  salt  is  being  produced  in  Arkansas  and  it  is  unlikely 
that  the  salines  in  different  parts  of  the  state,  from  which  supplies  of 
salt  were  obtained  before  and  during  the  Civil  war  will  ever  be  active 
competitors  of  the  salt-bearing  sections  of  Kansas  where  there  exists  a 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  133 


plentiful  deposit  of  pure  rock  salt.  There  are  salt  wells  in  Sevier  county, 
a  salt  spring  in  Franklin  county  and  surface  deposits  of  salt  in  Clark 
and  other  counties  of  the  state.  Many  artesian  salt  wells  have  been 
developed  in  prospecting  for  oil  in  different  parts  of  the  State. 

REFERENCES. 

Van    Rensselaer,   J. — Salt.      American    Journal    of    Science,    Vol.    VII.    New 
Haven,   1824. 

Braekenridfte.    H.    M. — Salines    on    the    Arkansas.       Views    of    Louisiana. 

Pittsburgh,  1814,  Baltimore,  1817. 

Phalen.  W.  C. — Salt  in  the  U.  S..  Mineral  Resources  of  the  U.  S.   for  1908, 
part  II,  643-657.     (Contains  bibliography.) 


Sandstone. 

The  Paleozoic  area  of  Arkansas  abounds  in  sandstone,  most  of  which  is 
undeveloped.  In  the  large  area  of  Pennsylvanian  rocks,  especially  in  tfie 
Boston  Mountains,  there  is  much  excellent  light-brown  sandstone,  easily 
quarried,  and  there  is  considerable  quartzite  near  Hot  Springs.  Twenty- 
four  sandstone  quarries  in  eleven  counties  report  production  in  this  state. 
The  largest  use  is  for  riprap,  with  concrete,  road-making,  railroad  ballast 
and  building  stone  following  in  order.*  *  *  Sandstone  quarries  are  operated 
at  Carrollton,  Heber  Springs,  Morrilton,  Ozark,  Hot  Springs,  Guion,  Clars- 
ville,  Lamar,  Leslie,  Ft.  Smith,  Greenwood,  Springdale,  Bald  Knob,  Russell 
and  Searcy. — Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,  Vol  II,  1912,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey. 

The  largest  rock  crushing  plant  in  Arkansas  is  that  operated  by  the 
Big  Rock  Stone  and  Construction  Company  of  Little  Rock,  and  its  source  of 
supply  is  the  great  mountain  of  solid  rock  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas 
River,  opposite  Little  Rock,  upon  which  rests  Fort  Logan  H.  Roots.  This 
great  quarry  has  been  in  operation  for  20  years  or  more  and  it  has  barely 
touched  the  west  face  of  the  great  bluff.  The  supply  is  inexhaustible  and  the 
quality  of  the  rock  is  for  above  other  rocks  on  mechanical  analyses.  The 
Pittsburg  Labratories  report  that  under  a  test  for  hardness  where  a  score 
of  17-x  is  considered  satisfactorily  hard  this  rock  shows  a  degree  of  hard- 
ness equal  to  19.5;  in  toughness  where  19-x  is  considered  high,  it  shows  24.5 
and  in  abrasion,  or  wear,  where  13  is  high,  this  rock  tests  24.1  It  is  bluish 
gray  rock,  fairly  uniform  in  color  and  is  commonly  called  "trap  rock"  but 
by  the  geologist  it  is  more  specifically  classified  as  quartzite.  This  is 
defined  as  being  a  sandstone  in  which  the  grains  are  so  cemented  by  silica 
that  they  break  across  when  the  rock  is  fractured;  noted  for  its  extreme 
hardness. 

The  capacity  of  the  Big  Rock  plant  is  2,000  tons  a  day  and  the  rock 
is  shipped  to  various  parts  of  the  state  for  road  building,  street  paving, 
concrete  work,  railroad  construction  and  wherever  crushed  stone  is  needed. 
Modern  quarrying,  crushing  and  loading  facilities  are  in  use  at  this  plant. 


Sand,  Building. 

This  material  is  dug  at  many  places;  Boone  county,  Harrison;  Clark 
county,  Arkadelphia;  Green  county,  Paragould;  Izard  county,  Guion;  Jeffer- 
son county,  Pine  Bluff;  Pulaski  county,  Little  Rock;  Saline  county,  Benton; 
and  from  the  bed  of  the  Arkansas  River  at  other  points. 


134 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


E 


94 


Scale  ofmiles 
?s  so  75 


Map  Showing  the  Slate  Area  in  Arkansas, 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  135 


Sand,  Moulding. 

A  brown  sand  suitable  for  moulding  sand  is  found  in  the  vicinity  of 
Coal  Hill,  Johnson  county.  The  material  is  also  found  in  Pulaski  county 
at  Little  Rock. 


Slate. 

Topography,  Geology  and  Character  of  Deposits. 

A  summary  from  A.  H.  Purdue's  "The  Slates  of  Arkansas,"  published  by 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Bulletin  586,  follows: 

The  slate  area  of  Arkansas  covers  part  of  the  Ouachita  Mountains, 
which  lie  south  of  Arkansas  River  and  have  a  general  east-west  trend. 
The  area  extends  from  the  vicinity  of  Little  Rock  about  100  miles  west- 
ward nearly  to  Mena,  and  has  an  average  width  of  15  miles.  The  rocks 
include  shales,  slates,  chert,  novaculite  (a  deposit  of  extremely  fine  quart/ 
grains),  sandstone  and  a  little  limestone.  The  entire  sedimentary  series 
is  estimated  at  11,400  feet  in  thickness,  of  which  the  upper  8,825  feet  contains 
some  commercial  slate,  as  shown  in  table  below: 

Section  in  Arkansas  Showing  the  Relations  of  Slates. 

Feet 
Carboniferous: 

Stanley  shale:   Greenish  clay  shale,  locally  black  slate 

near  the  base,  and  greenish  quartzitic  sandstone 6,000 

Unconformity. 
Age  unknown: 
Fork  Mountain  slate:  Gray  slate  with  thin  beds  of 

siliceous  material 125 

Arkansas   novaculite:    Massive   white   and   variegated   novaculite 

with  alternating  flint  and  shale  layers  in  the  upper  half 800 

Missouri  Mountain  slate:   Mainly  red  slate  with  green  slate 

in  basal  part 75-300 

Ordovician : 
Blaylock  sandstone:  Greenish  quartzitic  sandstone  alternating 

with   brownish-black   shale 0-1,500 

Polk  Creek  shale:   Black  fissile  and  sandy  graptolitic 

shale 07-100 

Big  fork  chert. 

8,825 

These  strata  lie  in  parallel  close  folds  with  the  east-west  axes  which 
pitch  alternately  but  always  together  east  and  west.  The  folds  are  either 
erect  or  overturned  to  the  north  or  south.  The  peculiar  topography  of 
'ae  region  Is  due  to  these  parallel  pitching  folds  and  to  the  unequal  resist 
ance  offered  to  erosion  by  the  soft  shales  and  slates  and  by  the  hard 
quartzose  beds. 

Slate  of  possible  economic  value  occurs  in  the  four  formations  men- 
tioned below. 

The  Polk  Creek  shale  passes  here  and  there  into  a  black  graptolitic 
sonorous  slate,  in  places  banded.  The  smallness  of  the  amount  of  slate 


136  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


and  the  abundance  of  joints  throughout  the  formation  make  the  deposit  of 
doubtful  economic  value. 

The  Missouri  Mountain  slate  has  been  extensively  prospected  and  is 
now  quarried  at  Slatington.  It  produces  both  red  and  green  slate,  the 
former  predominating.  In  some  places  the  cleavage  is  parallel  to  the  bedd- 
ing; in  others  it  is  oblique.  The  slate  is  defective  in  sonorousness  and 
*T.  Tnary  places  shows  two  sets  of  slip  cleavage. 

This  slate  is  used  for  mill  stock,  particularly  laundry  tubs,  lavatories, 
wainscoting  and  electric  switchboards.  In  the  preparation  of  millstock 
there  is  a  certain  loss  from  worked  pieces  cracking  either  along  or  at 
right  angles  to  the  cleavage. 

The  Fork  Mountain  slate  consists  of  a  hard  slate,  generally  gray 
but  weathering  in  places  green  or  chocolate  color  and  containing  many 
thin  sandy  beds.  The  slate  usually  has  a  good  cleavage  and  is  ribboned, 
highly  sonorous,  strong  and  tough.  So  far  as  prospected  it  is  too  much 
jointed  to  be  of  economic  value. 

The  Stanley  shale  is  almost  everywhere  a  shale,  rarely  a  slate.  It 
has  been  extensively  prospected  near  Slatington  and  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  Polk  county.  The  color  of  the  slate  is  blue  to  black  and  its  cleavage 
remarkably  fine,  with  very  smooth  cleavage  surfaces.  It  is  not  regarded 
as  sufficiently  durable  for  roofing.  Two  quarries  have  been  opened  in  it. 

Microscopic  Analyses  of  Slates  From  Arkansas. 

Black  slate  from  Mena,  near  Big  Fork.  This  is  a  pure  black  slate, 
which  to  the  unaided  eye  has  an  exceedingly  fine  texture  and  a  remarkably 
smooth  cleavage  surface  with  a  slight  luster.  It  is  both  carbonaceous 
(or  graphitic)  and  magnetic;  does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hyroch- 
loric  acid,  is  very  sonorous  and  very  fissile.  Under  the  microscope  this 
slate  shows  a  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite),  with  a  very  brilliant  aggregate 
polarization  and  an  unusually  fine  texture  and  great  homogeneity.  Quartz 
grains  are  few  and  not  over  0.01  millimeter  in  diameter.  Rutile  needles 
unusually  minute.  Many  opaque  particles  of  irregular  shape,  some  of  which 
are  pyrite,  others  magnetite,  and  some  coaly  or  graphitic  matter.  No  carbon- 
ate. The  constituents,  arranged  in  descending  order  of  abundance,  appear  to 
be  muscovite;  carbonaceous  or  graphitic  matter,  quartz,  pyrite,  magnetite  and 
rutile.  This  is  a  mica  slate,  with  remarkably  fine  cleavage  and  not 
liable  to  discolor  on  exposure,  but  its  strength  and  its  behavior  under  frost 
should  be  tested. 

Dark-reddish  slate  from  Mena,  near  Big  Fork.  In  color  this  elate 
is  somewhat  darker  than  the  "red"  slate  of  New  York.  To  the  unaided 
eye  it  has  a  minutely  granular  texture  and  roughish,  speckled,  almost  luster- 
less  surface.  Contains  very  little  magnetite,  does  not  effervesce  with  cold 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  is  sonorous,  splits  readily  and  has  some  argillaceous 
odor.  Under  the  microscope  it  shows  a  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite), 
with  brilliant  aggregate  polarization,  quartz  grains  ranging  up  to  0.025 
millimeter,  muscovite  and  chlorite  scales,  and  abundant  hematite  in  minute 
dots.  There  are  also  rhombs,  from  0.1  to  0.2  millimeter,  of  chlorite  and 
rhodohrosite  probably  pseudomorphs.  No  other  carbonate.  Tfie  constituents 
arranged  in  descending  order  of  abundance,  appear  to  be  muscovite.  hematite. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  137 


kaolin,    quartz,    chlorite,    rhodochrosite    (?),    and    magnetite.       This  slate 
compares  favorably  in  texture  with  the  "red"  slate  of  New  York. 

Reddish  slate  from  the  Missouri  Mountain  ("Mammoth  red"  and  "Lost 
Hannah"  of  quarrymen;  exact  locality  not  given.  Color  lighter  than  above, 
but  not  quite  so  red  as  the  New  York  slate.  To  the  unaided  eye  has  a  fine 
texture  and  a  fine  cleavage  surface  but  no  luster.  Contains  very  little 
magnetite;  does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  is  sonorous 
and  fissile,  has  some  argillaceous  odor.  Under  the  microscope  it  shows 
a  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite),  with  brilliant  aggregate  polarization,  quartz 
grains  up  to  0.03  millimeter,  muscovite  and  chlorite  scales,  abundant 
hematite  pigment  and  no  carbonate.  The  constituents,  arranged  in  descend- 
ing order  of  abundance,  appear  to  be  muscovite,  hematite,  kaolin,  quartz, 
chlorite  and  magnetite.  This  is  a  finer  and  softer  slate  than  the  dark  red 
and  should  be  tested  for  strength  and  frost  resistance. 

Greenish-gray  slate  from  Mena.  In  color  this  resembles  the  sear 
green  slate  of  Vermont.  To  the  unaided  eye  it  has  a  fine  texture,  a  roughish 
cleavage  surface,  and  a  waxy  luster;  does  not  show  pyrite  on  sawn  edge, 
contains  very  little  magnetite;  does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid,  and  is  somewhat  sonorous.  Under  the  microscope  it  shows  a 
matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite),  with  a  brilliant  aggregate  polarization 
and  is  of  very  fine  texture  and  homogeneity,  but  the  cleavage  is  crossed  at 
an  angle  of  13°  by  a  very  close  bedding  foliation  and  also  by  an  obscure 
slip  or  false  cleavage  at  about  40°.  Contains  very  few  and  very  minute 
quartz  grains,  no  carbonate,  several  pseudomorphic  rhombs  of  chlorite, 
0.08  millimeter,  and  has  a  slight  argillaceous  odor.  The  constituents,  arrang- 
ed in  descending  order  of  abundance,  appear  to  be  muscovite,  quartz,  kaolin, 
chlorite  and  magnetite.  The  two  extra  foliations  are  likely  to  prove  to 
directions  of  weakness. 

Light  greenish  slate  from  Missouri  Mountain  slate  ("Mammoth  red"), 
locality  not  designated.  This  is  more  greenish  than  the  above;  to  the  un- 
aided eye  has  an  exceedingly  fine  texture  and  a  very  fine,  almost  lusterlesa 
cleavage  surface;  shows  pyrite  on  sawn  edge;  contains  a  little  magnetite; 
does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  is  sonorous,  very 
fissile,  and  has  a  slight  argillaceous  odor.  Under  the  microscope  it  shows 
a  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite),  with  a  brilliant  aggregate  polarization  and 
great  eveness  of  texture.  A  very  minute  bed  of  quartz  grains,  chlorite  and 
muscovite  lies  in  the  cleavage,  which  is  therefore  the  bedding  also.  The 
grain  is  indicated  by  the  transverse  position  of  some  of  the  muscovite 
scales.  Quartz  not  very  abundant  but  occurs  in  grains  up  to  0.037  milli- 
meter. Rutile  needles  about  from  0.0028  by  0.0009  up  to  0.0014  millimeter. 
Muscovite  and  chlorite  scales  occur,  the  latter  producing  the  green  color. 
There  are  some  opaque  granules  (limonite?  and  pyrite),  occasional  lenses, 
0.14  millimeter  long,  of  a  central  mass  (probably  rhodochrocite),  with  second- 
ary muscovite  at  both  ends..  No  other  carbonate.  Shows  a  number  of  tour- 
maline prisms  up  to  0.025  by  0.008  millimeter.  The  chief  constituents, 
arranged  in  descending  order  of  abundance,  appear  to  be  muscovite.  quartz, 
kaoline,  chlorite,  rutile,  pyrite,  magnetite  and  tourmaline.  This  mica  slate 
probably  possesses  more  petrographic  interest  than  economic  value.  Its 
fissility,  freedom  from  carbonate,  and  color  are  very  favorable,  but  it 
will  probably  be  found  too  delicate  for  use  on  a  roof. 


138  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


Very  dark  bluish-gray  slates  from  Sec.  25,  T.  3  S.,  R.  29  W.  (Specimen 
collected  by  E.  C.  Eckel.)  To  the  unaided  eye  this  slate  has  a  fine  texture 
and  a  smooth  cleavage  surface  with  a  little  luster,  and  shows  a  little  pyrite 
on  the  sawn  edge.  It  contains  very  little  magnetite,  considerable  carbon- 
aceous or  graphitic  matter,  does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hydro- 
chloric-acid, is  sonorous,  and  has  a  high  grade  of  fissility.  Under  the  micro- 
scope it  shows  a  fine-textured  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite)  with  good 
aggregate  polarization,  but  somewhat  obscured  by  carbonaceous  matter. 
Quartz  is  not  abundant,  the  grains  measure  up  to  0.047  by  0.02  millimeter. 
Pyrite  spherules,  measuring  up  to  0.008  millimeter  in  diameter,  number 
about  120  per  square  millimeter  .  There  are  rutile  needles  but  no  carbonate. 
The  chief  constituents,  arranged  in  order  of  decreasing  abundance,  appear 
to  be  muscovite,  quartz,  pyrite,  carbonaceous  or  graphitic  matter  and  rutile. 
This  slate  has  absence  of  carbonate  in  its  favor.  It  is  not  so  fine  or  so 
fissile  as  the  black  slate  from  Mena,  but  may  prove  more  durable. 

Light-gray  slate  with  a  slightly  greenish  tinge  from  Sec.  30,  T.  3  S., 
R.  28W.  (Specimen  collected  by  E.  C.  Eckel.)  To  the  unaided  eye  this 
has  a  fine  texture,  but  a  lusterless,  roughish  surface,  and  shows  a  little 
pyrite  on  the  sawn  edges.  It  contains  an  insignificant  amount  of  magnetite 
but  no  carbonaceous  or  graphitic  matter,  does  not  effervesce  with  cold  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  and  has  an  argillaceous  odor  and  a  fair  degree  of  fissil- 
ity and  sonorousness.  Under  the  microscope  it  shows  a  fine-textured  mat- 
rix of  muscivite  (sericite)  with  brilliant  aggregate  polarization,  containing 
no  abundant  quartz  grains,  measuring  up  to  0.03  millimeter,  scales  of 
chlorite  and  muscovite  transverse  to  cleavage,  some  pyrite  cubes  up  to 
0.063  millimeter  (generally  with  a  rim  of  secondary  quartz),  passing  into 
limonite  and  staining  the  matrix.  Rutile  needles  abound. 

Very  dark-gray  spangled  slate  from  quarry  operated  by  the  South- 
western Slate  Manufacturing  Co.  (Specimen  collected  by  E.  C.  Eckel.) 
To  the  unaided  eye  this  has  a  coarsish  texture  and  a  roughish,  almost 
lusterless  surface,  spangled  with  minute  scales  of  mica,  shows  pyrite  on  sawn 
edges,  contains  very  little  magnetite  and  little  carbonaceous  matter,  does  not 
effervesce  with  cold  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  is  somewhat  sonorous,  toler- 
ably fissile,  and  has  a  slight  argillaceous  odor.  Under  the  microscope 
it  shows  a  fine-textured  matrix  of  muscovite  (sericite)  with  brilliant  aggre- 
gate polarization  containing  roundish  and  angular  grains  of  quartz  of  variable 
and  large  sizes,  up  to  0.27  by  0.17  millimeter;  also  a  few  of  plagioclase  feld- 
spar, scales  of  muscovite  and  biotite  up  to  0.2  by  0.1  millimeter,  some  lenses 
of  carbonate  up  to  0.4  millimeter  long,  a  few  grains  of  tourmaline,  and 
lenses  of  secondary  quartz.  There  is  a  faint  incipient  slip  cleavage,  not 
apparent,  however,  in  the  hand  specimen.  The  chief  constituents  of  this 
slate,  arranged  in  order  of  decreasing  abundance,  appear  to  be  muscovite 
(including  sericite),  quartz,  carbonate,  pyrite,  carbonaceous  matter  and 
kaolin,  with  accessory  biotite,  plagioclase,  tourmaline  and  magnetite. 

REFERENCES. 

Purdue,  A.  H. — The  Slates  of  Arkansas,  the  Geol.   Surv.   of  Arkansas,   1909- 

Dale,  T.  Nelson. — Microscopic  analyses  of  Arkansas  slate.  Bulletin  No. 
275,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1906. 

Note  on  Arkansas  roofing  slates.  Bulletin  No.  225,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv., 
Washington,  1904. 

Bulletins   275  and  430,  U.  S.  Geological   Survey. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  139 


Talc — Soapstone. 

Talc  deposits  occur  in  Saline,  Garland,  Hot  Spring  and  Montgomery 
counties  and  soapstone,  the  impure  form  of  talc  is  found  in  massive  beds, 
underlying  slabby  sandrock,  in  Saline  county  12  miles  northeast  of  Benton. 

The  properties  of  talc  which  render  it  useful  for  many  purposes  are 
its  foliated  or  fibrous  structure,  its  softness,its  whiteness  or  light  color 
and  luster,  its  medium  weight,  its  sectile  and  flexible  but  not  elastic  quality, 
its  greasy  feel,  its  low  conductivity  but  high  absorption  of  heat  and  elec- 
tricity. The  most  important  use  of  talc  is  made  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 
The  highest  price  talc  is  manufactured  into  pencils  and  blanks  for  insulators 
and  burners. 

The  qualities  which  render  soapstone  useful  are  its  slow  conduction  of 
heat  and  electricity,  its  difficult  fusibility  and  chemical  stability  in  resisting 
the  action  of  solvents,  as  well  as  its  softness.  It  is  used  for  table  tops, 
acid  tanks,  laundry  tubs,  switchboards,  stove  and  furnace  lining,  laboratory 
equipment,  foot  warmers  and  fireless  cookers. — Mineral  Resources  of  the 
United  States,  Part  II,  1912. 

A  description  of  the  soapstone  at  Wallis  quarry  (Sec.  15,  1  N.,  15  W) 
and  elsewhere  is  given  in  the  report  of  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  I, 

1888. 


Tripoli. 

From  the  fact  that  tripoli  of  no  better  grade  than  that  to  be  found 
in  many  points  of  Arkansas  is  extensively  mined  in  Missouri,  it  is  reasonable 
to  believe  that  this  material  might  be  profitably  worked  in  this  state, 
especially  the  richer  deposits.  An  excellent  grade  of  tripoli  has  been  found 
near  Butterfield  in  Hot  Springs  county,  but  the  extent  of  the  deposit  is  un- 
known. This  occurence,  according  to  H.  D.  Miser,  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  is  a  weathered  calcareous  siliceous  rock,  simulating  the  novaculites. 
The  calcite  has  been  leached  out,  leaving  a  pure  siliceous  residue  of  fine 
grain.  The  novaculite  beds  at  other  localities  west  of  Butterfield  have 
also  been  altered  to  tripoli. 

Deposits  of  tripoli  are  reported  in  Montgomery,  Garland,  Ouachita, 
Washington  and  Independence  counties. — Report,  Bureau  of  Mines,  Manufac- 
tures and  Agriculture,  1913. 

Purdue  reported  that  samples  of  good  "tripoli"  had  been  received  from 
the  vicinity  of  Farmington  in  Washington  county.  The  quotation  marks 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  tripoli  of  commerce  and  not  pure  tripoli 
is  meant. 

"There  is  a  great  abundance  of  this  material  in  the  zinc  region,  but 
whether  or  not  it  has  any  commercial  value  is  a  matter  that  can  be 
determined  only  by  experiment.  It  is  extensively  used  for  manufacturing 
polishing  powders  and  water  filters."— Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey. 
Vol.  V,  1892. 


140  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

Water  Resources. 

Water    Power 

Private  surveys  have  been  made  at  a  number  of  points  along  White 
River  and  its  tributaries,  on  the  Ouachita  and  Little  Missouri  and  other 
streams  to  locate  the  available  water  powers  of  the  State  of  Arkansas, 
but  the  data  secured  by  these  surveys  are  not  available. 

Under  A.  H.  Purdue  in  1911  a  survey  and  preliminary  report  was  made 
by  W.  N.  Gladson,  covering  White  River  from  its  headwaters  to  Buffalo 
Shoals,  a  part  of  North  Fork  of  White  River  and  Buffalo  Fork  of  White 
River.  The  following  table  of  distance  and  fall  of  the  streams  is  taken 
from  the  Gladson  report. 

White    River 
From  To  Miles  Feet 

Habberton    Monte  Ne 27.69  59.39 

Monte  Ne Jenjiings    Ford, 21.40  63.37 

Jennings  Ford Blue  Springs 27.98  71.58 

Blue  Springs Beaver  Bridge 7.00  18.60 

Beaver  Briuge  _.        State   Line    (Carroll    Co.)  _  _  3.74  8.20 


Total.               87.71  221.14 

Average  fall  per  mile  2.57 

State  Line  (Boone  CountyBradley's    Ferry 21,92  52.24 

Bradley's  Ferry   Music    Creek, 17.42  36.15 

Music  Creek Dews    Ford 21.18  50.46 

Dew's  Ford   Cotter    Bridge, 15.16  38.18 

Cotter  Bridge   Head    Buffalo    Shoal, 11.09  25.72 

Warner  Creek  _                 __Foot    Buffalo    Shoal__                       _  1.73  10.52 


Total.                               88.50  213.27 

Average  fall  per  mile  2.41 

Buffalo    Fork    of    White    River 

From                                           To                                                             Miles  Feet 

Boxley   Mouth    Cecil's    Creek, 20.55  229.66 

Cecil's  Creek Mouth  Little  Buffalo, 12.03  94.29 

Little  Buffalo Mouth  Richland  Creek        22.71  96.98 

Richland   Creek    Gilbert, 23.00  102.22 

Gilbert West  Horseshoe  Bend, 25.81  83.26 

West    Horseshoe    Bend___East  Horseshoe  Bend, 7.08  20.82 

East   Horseshoe   Bend Mouth    Buffalo    Fork  _.                  __19.42  58.95 


Total,                                 131.00  686.18 

Average  fall  per  mile  5.23 

North    Fork   of  White    River 

From                                           To                                                             Miles  Feet 

Smith's  Ferry Buzzard  Roost  Falls 4.75  21.68 

Buzzard    Roost    Falls..    __Norfork,_.                                             ..13.95  57.28 


Total,  18.70  78.96 

Average  fall  per  mile  4.24 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  141 

Commenting  upon  this  report  Doctor  Purdue  said: 

"While  a  large  amount  of  water  power  is  available  along  the  streams 
included  in  this  report,  the  inauguration  of  any  large  enterprize  will  necessi- 
tate the  construction  of  a  series  of  dams  and  the  utilization  of  the  combined 
power  from  all;  but  as  the  valley  are  narrow  and  but  little  agricultural 
land  would  be  flooded  by  such  dams,  the  cost  of  developing  the  power 
would  not  be  prohibitive." 

The  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in  Water  Supply  Paper  No.  234, 
credited  Arkansas  with  255  water  wheels  capable  of  developing  a  total 
maximum  of  5868  horsepower. 

The  largest  water  power  plants  in  the  state  are  located  at  Mammoth 
Spring,  on  Spring  River,  and  near  Russellville,  on  Illinois  River. 
From  the  Gladson  report  the  following  is  quoted: 

"With  the  present  state  of  development  of  the  art  of  transmittinr 
electric  power  long  distances  with  slight  losses,  the  water  power  of  the 
northern  and  western  part  of  the  state  should  furnish  cheap  and  abundant 
power  in  any  quarter  of  the  state  for  manufacturing  and  lighting  purposes. 
*  *  *  *A  water  power  plant  located  on  White  River  at  Buffalo  City,  for 
instance,  could  economically  furnish  water  power  within  a  radius  of  200 
miles,  which  would  reach  the  most  distant  point  in  the  state." 

At  the  time  of  the  preparation  of  this  chapter  movements  were  on 
foot  for  the  establishment  of  large  power  plants  at  Cotter  on  White  River 
and  on  Little  Red  River  above  Judsonia. 


Little   Red   River  Project. 

At  the  time  of  the  publication  of  this  report  a  company  was  being 
promoted  by  Little  Rock  and  north  Arkansas  capitalists  for  the  development 
of  water  power  on  Little  Red  River  between  Heber  Springs  and  Higden.  It 
is  claimed  that  55,000  horse  power  can  be  obtained  by  the  construction  of 
dams  at  Higden,  Heber  Springs,  Pangburn  and  Bee  Rock,  for  which  there 
would  be  a  market  in  the  nearby  cities  of  Searcy,  Kensett,  Higden,  Judsonia 
and  Higginson.  Nearly  a  third  of  the  water  shed  of  Little  Red  River  lies  in 
the  Ozark  National  Forest  Reserve.  Just  above  Higden  the  three  forks  of 
the  river  converge  and  by  the  construction  of  a  dam  at  Higden  a  lake  could 
be  formed  one-half  to  four  miles  wide  and  fourteen  miles  in  length. 

REFERENCES. 

Gladson,  W.  X. — Water  Power.     Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey,  1911. 
Water  Supply  Paper,  No.   234.     U.  S.  Geol.   Surv. 

Water  Supply  Paper,  No.  399.  Geology  and  Ground  Waters  of  Northeast 
Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


Mineral  Waters. 

Arkansas  is  a  well  watered  state.  Hundreds  of  beautiful,  free-flowins 
springs  of  excellent  water  gush  from  hillsides  and  Talleys  in  all  parts  of 
the  state.  In  the  limestone  region  north  of  the  Boston  Mountains,  such 
springs  are  especially  abundant,  large  and  beautiful.  They  are  not  mineral 
waters,  properly  speaking,  but  they  are  more  valuable  than  if  they  were. 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Some  of  these  springs  are  so  big  that  they  are  utilized  for  driving  mills, 
cotton  gins  and  other  machinery,  and  as  their  discharges  are  suubject  to 
little  or  no  fluctuations  throughout  the  year,  they  are  free  from  the  dangers 
of  freshets  and  the  risks  of  droughts.  Such  are  Lester's  Spring,  six  miles 
west,  and  "Big  Spring,"  six  miles  northwest  of  Batesville;  another  on  Mill 
Creek,  Stone  county;  one  at  Marble  City,  Newton  county;  another  on  Rush 
Creek,  Marion  county,  and  one  at  Silver  Spring,  Benton  county.  At  Mammoth 
Spring,  in  Fulton  county,  one  of  the  finest  water  powers  in  the  country  is 
furnished  by  an  enormous  clear  water  spring. 

Besides  these  truly  gigantic  springs,  no  one  who  travels  through  north 
Arkansas  can  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  great  number  of  large  and  beautiful 
springs  to  be  found  at  every  town  and  village,  to  say  nothing  of  those  at 
almost  every  farm  house.  Especially  worthy  of  mention  are  the  springs 
at  Big  Flat,  Lone  Rock,  Harrison,  Bellefonte,  Valley  Springs,  Western 
Grove,  Yardell,  Marble  City,  Francis  Postoffice  (Bear  Creek  Springs), 
Berryville,  Whitener  and  Spring  Valley. 

Fortunately,  the  Survey  has  made  an  analyses  of  a  type  of  these  fire 
springs — that  of  Valley  Springs,  Boone  county.  That  analysis  shows  the 
water  to  contain  only  15  grains  of  mineral  matter  to  the  gallon,  almost 
all  of  which  is  carbonate  of  lime. 

There  is  also  an  abundance  of  springs  whose  waters  are  remarkable 
for  their  purity;  such  are  the  Crescent  Springs  at  Eureka  Springs,  Carrol! 
county,  and  Elixir  Spring  at  Elixir,  Boone  county.  These  springs  contain 
less  than  six  grains  of  mineral  matter  to  the  gallon.  It  should  be  noted 
in  regard  to  these  two  springs  in  particular,  and  the  same  is  no  doubt 
true  of  many  other  springs  in  that  part  of  the  state,  that  their  waters 
pass  down  through  cherts,  rocks  that  have  but  little  easily  soluble  matter 
in  them,  and  this  is  no  doubt  the  reason  of  their  great  purity. 

Running  across  north  Arkansas  from  Batesville  to  the  Oklahoma  lino, 
is  a  formation  spoken  of  in  the  Survey's  reports  as  the  Batesville  sandstone: 
it  is  t'iie  coarse,  yellowish  brown  sandstone  on  which  and  partly  of  which 
Batesville  is  built.  Several  other  towns  of  north  Arkansas  are  built  on 
this  same  sandstone;  namely,  Mountain  View,  Marshall,  St.  Joe  and  Green 
Forest.  The  towns  mentioned  get  their  water  supply  from  wells  dug  in 
this  Batesville  sandstone;  the  water  is  soft,  cool  and  abundant. 

It  is  a  popular  belief  that  mineral  waters  are  "nature's  remedies," 
and  that  as  they  are  good  things  the  more  one  has  of  them  the  better.  Th^ 
analyses  of  our  mineral  waters  show  that  some  of  them  contain  large 
quantities  of  Epsom  salt,  Glauber's  salt,  and  common  salt.  Now  no  one 
would  suppose  for  a  moment  that  the  habitual  daily  use  by  a  healthy  person 
of  large  quantities  of  these  salts  could  be  anything  else  than  injurious. 
Epsom  salt  is  Epsom  salt,  and  its  physiological  effects  are  the  seime 
whether  one  takes  it  from  a  sparkling  spring  in  the  mountain  or  from  the 
bottles  of  a  drug  store.  Some  of  the  mineral  waters  of  the  state  are  highly 
charged  with  such  ingredients;  every  gallon  of  the  Potash  Sulphur  water 
contains  33  grains  of  Glauber's  salt;  every  gallon  of  the  National  Spring 
water  at  National,  Logan  county,  contains  33  grains  of  Glauber's  salt  and 
46  grains  of  Epsom  salt;  every  gallon  of  the  water  from  Howard's  mineral 
well  at  Sharp's  Cross  Roads,  Independence  county,  contains  160  grains  of 
Glauber's  salt  and  115  grains  of  Epsom  salt.  Such  waters  should  not  be 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  143 

used  without  some  reference  to  what  they  contain.  It  is  not  meant  to 
imply  that  these  and  similar  waters  are  dangerous,  but  simply  that  they 
have  important  medicinal  properties,  that  they  should  be  used  as  medicines 
with  discrimination,  and  that  those  who  have  no  need  for  such  medicines 
should  not  use  them.  It  should  be  remembered  also  that  whether  also 
that  whether  a  water  is  a  good  or  bad  for  the  general  use  depends,  not  on 
the  amount  of  matter  it  holds  in  solution,  but  rather  on  the  quality  of  that 
matter.  The  waters  containing  carbonate  of  lime  and  the  chalybeate  waters 
are  generally  good  ones,  but  the  habitual  use  of  magnesian  waters  is 
injurious  to  most  persons,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  may  be  beneficial 
to  the  same  persons  at  times  when  they  stand  in  need  of  such  remedies. 
And  because  one  can  advantageously  drink  large  quantities  of  the  waters 
of  Eureka  Springs,  Elixir  Springs  and  Hot  Springs  waters  containing  but 
little  mineral  matter  in  solution — it  must  not  be  inferred  that  he  can  drink 
like  quantities  of  strong  magnesian  waters  with  similar  effects.  Rough  tests 
of  artesian  wells  at  Camden  show  that  they  contain  large  quantities  of  cal- 
cium chloride,  a  substance  quite  unusual  in  mineral  waters. 

Ground  Waters  of  Northeast  Arkansas 

The  strata  which  underlie  northeastern  Arkansas  are  saturated  with 
water  below  level,  known  as  the  water  table,  which  ranges  from  the  surface 
to  a  depth  of  100  feet  or  more.  The  water  table  lies  deepest  in  Crowley's 
Ridge  and  shallowest  in  the  lowlands  east  and  west.  The  water  table  does 
not  occupy  a  fixed  position  at  any  given  place  but  continually  fluctuates,  being 
highest  at  tho  end  of  long  period  of  precipitations  and  lowest  at  the  end 
cf  a  long  drouth. 

Large  quantities  of  water  are  obtained  at  depths  of  50  to  200  feet 
throughout  the  lowlands.  Many  wells  in  the  rice-growing  areas  are  pumped 
at  rates  between  1,000  and  3,000  gallons  a  minute,  or  even  more  without 
appreciable  decrease  in  the  under-ground  supplies. 

The  beds  of  porous  sand  which  partly  compose  the  buried,  Cretaceous 
deposits  of  tLe  area  constitute  an  important,  though  largely  undeveloped, 
source  of  artsian  water.  In  northeastern  Arkansas  flowing  wells  that  doubt- 
less tap  water-bearing  beds  of  Cretaceous  age  are  in  use  at  Blytheville,  (depth 
1,448  feet);  Burdette,  (1,495.5  feet);  Wilson,  (depth  1,567  feet);  and  Marked 
Tree,  (depth  2,007  feet).  Non-flowing  wells  that  tap  beds  of  this  age  are 
located  at  Jonesboro  1,214  and  1,265  feet,  respectively),  and  at  Newport, 
(depth  of  Paleozoic  rocks,  655  feet). 

Water   Supply    in   the    Rice    Belt 

"Water  for  irrigation  is  present  in  great  abundance  at  relatively  shallow 
depths  throughout  the  rice-growing  area  of  Arkansas.  *  *  *Water  for  irrigat- 
ing the  rice  fields  is  obtained  chiefly  from  the  Pleistocene  alluvial  deposits 
which  underlie  the  Advance  lowland  to  depths  of  100  to  200  feet.  Wells 
6  to  12  inches  in  diameter  are  sunk  to  the  coarse  sands  and  gravels  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  deposits,  which  contain  large  quantities  of  water.  The 
wells  are  equipped  with  powerful  pumps,  centrifugal  pumps  being  generally 
used,  and  yield  from  200  to  4,000  gallons  a  minute.*  *  *  Though  wells 
are  the  chief  source  of  water  for  irrigation,  lands  near  streams  and 
bayous  might  be  irrigated  with  surface  water. — Water  Supply  Paper  No.  399, 
U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Geology  and  Ground  Waters  of  Northwestern  Arkansas. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  145 


The  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas. 


The  waters  of  Hot  Springs  claim  the  place  of  first  importance  in  any 
consideration  of  the  medicinally  valuable  waters  of  the  state.  For  a  great 
many  years  these  waters  have  been  used  by  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  with  results  that  merit  the  serious  attention  of  everyone,  and  strike 
the  ordinary  observer  as  nothing  short  of  marvelous. 

Doctor  Branner  in  his  report  on  Mineral  Waters  says: 
"There  is  naturally  much  curiosity  on  the  part  of  visitors  of  Hot  Springs 
regarding  the  cause  of  the  high  temperature  of  the  waters.  In  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  where  hot  waters  abound,  the  activity  of  igneous  agen- 
cies offer  a  ready  answer  to  such  questions,  but  in  Arkansas,  where  nearly  all 
the  rocks  to  be  seen  are  of  sedimentary  origin,  there  is  no  evidence  of 
recent  volcanic  activity,  and  such  an  explanation  of  temperature  is  not 
therefore  so  readily  accepted.  Some  of  the  theories  advanced  to  explain 
the  hot  waters  are  interesting  only  as  curiosities  and  are  not  mentioned  here 
as  having  other  value.  For  example;  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  heat 
comes  from  coal  burning  beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  is  perhaps 
enough  to  say  that  coal  measures,  to  which  coal  is  confine^  in  Arkansas, 
lie  far  to  the  north  of  Hot  Springs,  and  that  the  hot  waters  come  up  through 
Ordovician  rocks  which  contain  no  coal.  Of  the  theory  that  the  heat 
may  be  produced  by  chemical  action,  it  may  be  said  that  the  water  itself 
gives  no  evidence  of  its  having  received  its  temperature  in  this  way,  its 
chief  constituent  being  carbonate  of  lime.  So  far  as  the  geology  of  the 
region  is  concerned,  if  there  were  no  hot  waters  in  the  vicinity  none  would 
have  been  anticipated  on  geologic  ground  alone.  But  the  water  being  hot 
it  seems  most  probable  that  its  heat  is  derived  from  coming  in  contact  with 
masses  of  hot  rocks,  the  cold  edges  of  which  may  or  may  not  be  exposed 
at  the  surface." 

Source  of  the  Hot  Waters. 

Dr.  A.  H.  Purdue,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  25th  anniversary  meeting  of 
the  Indiana  Academy  of  Science,  1909,  discussing  t'he  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas 
and  the  source  of  their  high  temperature,  said  in  part: 

"The  collecting  area  must  be  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the  Springs,  and  a 
study  of  the  topography,  stratigraphy  and  structure  thereabout  locates  it  with 
reasonable  certainty.  A  glance  at  the  section  (Fig.  2)  from  Sugarloaf  Moun- 
tain southeastward  through  Hot  Springs  Mountain  will  indicate  the  collect- 
ing area.  The  surface  of  the  overturned,  anticlinal  valley  between  Sugarloaf 
and  North  Mountains,  is  higher  than  the  level  of  emergence  of  the  springs. 
*  *  *  The  considerable  thickness  of  the  Big  Fork  Chert,  its  much  frac- 
tured nature  and  the  thin  layers  of  which  it  is  composed,  all  combine  to  make 
it  a  water-bearing  formation  of  universal  importance.  *  *  *  The  exact  lo- 
cation of  the  springs  is  attributed  to  the  southwestern  plunge  of  the  Hot 
Springs  anticline.  *  *  *•  The  areas  of  igneous  rock  at  Potash  Sulphur 
Springs,  Magnet  Cove  and  other  places,  force  the  suggestion  upon  one  that 
the  waters  of  the  springs  owe  their  temperature  to  passing  over  hot  rocks  or 
the  vapor  from  such  in  some  part  of  their  underground  course.  (Doctor 
Branner  has  already  called  attention  to  this  as  the  probable  source  of  the 
heat.  See  Geol.  Surv.  of  Ark.,  Report  on  Mineral  Waters,  pp.  9  and  10.) 


146 


OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


1.     Bigfork  chert. 

Z.    Polk  (  re* k  sh»)r. 

3     Missouri  Mountain  »I»I.-. 


4.  Arkansas  novacillit,-. 

5.  Hot  Spring  -unrtsto 
«;.••  Stanley  s\i»< 


Map    Explaining   Source   of  the    Hot   Waters. 


The  fact  that  these  are  practically  the  only  hot  springs  within  the  Ouachita 
area  (recently  a  spring  said  to  have  a  temperature  of  98°  to  100°  F.,  has  been 
discovered  issuing  from  the  Arkansas  novaculite  in  the  bed  of  the  Caddo 
River  at  Caddo  Gap,  Montgomery  County),  t'iiough  there  are  scores  of  cold 
springs  issuing  from  the  same  formations  and  under  practically  the  same 
geologic  relations,  gives  this  suggestion  great  weight;  but  inasmuch  as  some 
of  the  springs  are  said  to  be  unusually  radio-active,  there  is  the  alternative 
suggestion  that  atomic  decomposition  in  igneous  rocks  (which  may  have  lost 
their  magmatic  heat)  is  the  source  of  the  high  temperature  of  the  water." 

The  waters  of  the  hot  springs  are  very  pure.  On  an  average  thai 
several  spring  waters  contain  12.94  grains  of  material  in  solution  to  the 
gallon.  Of  this  material  nearly  60  per  cent  is  carbonate  of  lime,  over 
21  per  cent  is  silica,  9  percent  is  carbonate  of  magnesia,  while  the  remainder 
is  chiefly  choloride  of  sodium  (common  salt),  sulphate  of  soda  (Glaubei'i 
salt)  and  sulphate  of  potash.  There  is  but  little  difference  in  the  com- 
position of  the  waters  of  the  various  springs.  The  positive  therapeutic 
qualities  of  these  waters  are  due  to  physical  rather  than  to  chemical  pro- 
perties, their  virtue  being  due  to  radio  activity,  which  is  very  marked  ir\ 
some  of  the  springs. 

Million   Gallon  Flow   Daily. 

There  are  44  hot  springs,  flowing  1,000,000  gallons  a  day.  The 
average  temperature  of  the  waters  is  135  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The  springs 
are  owned  and  controlled  by  the  United  States  and  in  1832  were  set  apart 
as  a  National  Sanitarium  for  all  time,  dedicated  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States  to  be  forever  free  from  sale  or  alienation.  There  are  24  bath  houses 
connected  with  the  springs  some  of  these  being  of  palatial  architecture 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  147 


and  magnificently  equipped.  The  operation  of  the  baths  and  charges  are 
regulated  by  the  government  through  a  superintendent  of  the  reservation 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  The  government  has  spent 
large  sums  on  the  building  of  roads  and  parkways  and  otherwise  beautify- 
ing the  resort,  which  is  visited  annually  by  upwards  of  100,000  people  from 
many  parts  of  the  world  who  come  here  for  rest,  recreation  and  treatment. 
Some  of  the  world's  finest  resort  hotels  are  located  at  Hot  Springs  and  there 
are  housing  facilities  for  caring  for  the  large  number  of  visitors. 

Action    of    Waters. 

The  immediate  effect  of  a  bath  at  98°  F.  of  this  water  as  compared 
to  a  bath  of  ordinary  water  of  the  same  temperature,  is  that  it  is  very  much 
more  stimulating,  exhilarating  and  eliminant,  all  secretory  organs  becom- 
ing roused  into  greater  activity  and  the  effect  of  the  continued  use  of 
the  baths  are  remarkably  great  in  alterative  action,  correcting  retrograde 
metamorphosis,  equalizing  and  moderating  nervous  excitability,  increased 
action  of  the  absorbent  system,  increased  disintegration  of  tissue,  great 
increase  of  assimilation  and  reparation,  and  greater  activity  of  all  excretory 
organs  elminating  blood  poisons  rapidly,  and  all  effete  and  poisonous 
products  of  the  disintegration  of  tissue  by  the  kidneys  and  skin.  The  hot 
water  drank  while  in  the  bath  keeps  up  a  constant  current  through  the  blood 
vessels  from  within  outward,  the  water  drank  in  the  bath  supplying  that 
lost  by  the  blood  in  sweating. 

Briefly  stated,  the  use  of  the  Hot  Springs  waters  opens  the  pores  and 
channels  for  the  expulsion  of  the  matters  injurious  to  health,  arouses 
torpid  and  sluggish  secretions,  stimulates  the  circulation,  the  muscles, 
the  skin,  the  nerves,  the  internal  organs,  and  purifies  the  blood,  removes  all 
aches  and  pains,  restores  the  exhausted,  revives  the  debilitated  and  helps 
build  up  and  renew  the  entire  system.  They  are  administered  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  sick  internally  and  externally,  being  drunk  in  large  quantities 
and  applied  in  all  the  different  forms  of  baths. 

The  opinion  of  resident  physicians  of  marked  ability  and  experience, 
based  on  years  of  observation  in  connection  with  the  regular  medical  treat- 
ment, is  that  the  following  list  of  diseases  are  successfully  treated  by 
the  use  of  the  baths  and  the  internal  administration  of  the  hot  waters; 
Gout,  rheumatism,  stiff  joints,  skin  diseases,  scrofula,  syphillis,  nervous 
affections,  paralysis  spinal  disease,  sciatica,  catarrh,  specific  locomotor 
ataxia,  dyspepsia,  uterine  diseases  (especially  sterility  and  lucorrhea), 
malaria,  blood  diseases  of  chronic  character  and  alcoholism.  Gout  rheu- 
matism, muscular  contraction,  diseases  of  the  skin  and  affections  of  the 
nervous  system,  are  especially  greatly  benefitted  by  the  baths.  The  hot 
waters  are  valuable  aid  in  surgical  treatments  and  highly  efficient  as  an 
uric  acid  eliminant. 

In  his  circular  for  the*  guidance  of  the  officers  of  the  army  in  sending 
sick  here,  the  surgeon  general  of  the  United  States  army  enumerates  the 
ailments  for  which  the  sick  should  be  sent  to  the  Army  and  Navy  Hospital 
at  the  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas.  It  says: 

"Relief  may  reasonably  be  expected  at  the  Hot  Springs  in  the  following 
conditions:     In  the  various  forms  of  gout  and  rheumatism,  after  the  acute 


148  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


or  inflamatory  stage;  neuralgia,  especially  when  depending  upon  gout,  rheu- 
matism, metallic  or  malarial  poisoning;  paralysis,  not  of  organic  origin; 
chronic  diarrhoea;  catarrhal  affections  of  the  digestive  and  respiratory 
tracts;  chronic  skin  diseases,  especially  the  squamous  varieties,  and  chronic 
conditions  due  to  malarial  infection." 

"Approved:  Geo  H.  Torney, 

J.  M.  Dickinson,  Secretary  of  War.  Surgeon  General  U.  S.  Army." 

Since  the  discovery  of  the  wonderful  element  Radium  and  the  demonstra- 
tion of  its  power  of  imparting  its  activity  and  potency  to  contiguous  sub- 
stances and  its  display  of  the  forces — heat,  electricity  and  light — in  various 
peculiar  forms  of  chemico-actinic  force,  and  a  capability  of  increasing 
as  well  as  destroying  vital  activities,  the  suggestion  naturally  followed 
that  the  wonderful  curative  properties  of  these  celebrated  springs  would 
upon  examination  and  investigation  be  found  to  be  due  to  the  presence  of 
radium  or  its  emanations  in  some  form  of  radio  activity.  Responding 
to  this  suggestion  the  Interior  Department  U.  S.  Government,  having  direct 
management  and  control  of  the  U.  S.  Reservation  at  Hot  Springs  employed 
Prof.  Bertram  B.  Boltwood  of  Yale  College,  to  make  exhaustive  tests  of 
these  springs  for  this  element  and  in  summing  up  an  abstract  of  his 
wonderful  report  on  the  completion  of  his  work,  the  Department  state* 
the  conclusions  by  Prof.  Boltwood  are: 

"The  waters  of  the  Arkansas  Hot  Springs  are  radio  active,  to  a  marked 
degree.  The  radio  activity  of  the  waters  is  due  to  dissolved  radium 
emanation  (gas)." 

The  chief  effect  of  the  radiations  from  radium  is  to  produce  an  ioniza- 
tion  of  the  atoms  of  whatever  substance  the  rays  penetrate.  Chemical 
effects  follow  as  a  secondary  result  of  the  ionzation.  Von  Noorden  and 
Falta  say  that  in  contradistinction  to  all  other  forms  of  electro  therapy 
we  possess  in  radio  active  substances  a  means  of  carrying  electrical  energy 
into  depths  of  the  body,  and  there  subjecting  the  juices,  protoplasm  and 
nuclei  of  the  cells  to  an  immediate  bombardment  by  explosions  of  electrical 
atoms.  We  may  therefore  designate  this  internal  treatment  with  radio 
active  waters  as  internal  electro  therapy. 

The  concensus  of  expert  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  radium  springs 
therapeutically,  is  that  they  primarily  stimulate  cell  activity,  arousing 
all  secretory  and  excretory  organs,  stimulating  the  eliminating  processes, 
thereby  causing  the  system  to  throw  off  waste  products;  that  they  are  an 
agent  for  the  destruction  of  bacteria  and  by  their  radiations  they  have 
positive  influence  on  diseased  tissues,  exercising  germicidal  powers. 

The  cold  waters  of  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  are  justly  famed  everywhere, 
both  as  medicinal  and  table  waters.  It  is  in  the  cold  waters  of  Hot  Springs 
that  mineral  is  most  evident  and  best  results  are  often  secured  when 
they  are  drank  in  connection  with  the  baths,  especially  in  affections  of 
kidney,  bladder,  stomach  and  rheumatic  conditions.  Marvelous  relief  in  the 
early  stages  of  Bright's  disease  and  dropsy  are  accredited  to  these  waters, 

Among  the  various  cold  water  springs  are  the  DeSota  Springs,  the 
Mountain  Valley  Springs,  the  Radio  Magnesia  Springs,  the  Arsenic  Springs 
and  the  Potash  Sulphur  Springs. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  149 


Publications   on  Hot   Springs 

Hrnnner  John  C. — Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Hot  Springs  Res- 
ervation to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Washington,  1891.  Analyses  of  Hot 
Springs  waters. 

Boltwood,  llertram  B. — On  the  radio-active  properties  of  the  waters  of  the 
hot  springs  on  the  Hot  Springs  Reservation,  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas.  American 
Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  CLXX,  August,  1905. 

Haywbod.  J.  K. — Report  of  an  analysis  of  the  waters  of  the  hot  springs  on 
the  Hot  Springs  Reservation,  Garland  County,  Arkansas.  57th  Congress,  1st 
Session,  Senate  Document,  No.  282,  Washington,  1902. 

Thompson,  Frank  M. — Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Hot  Springs 
Reservation  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  39  pp..  Washington,  1891. 
(Analyses  of  Hot  Springs  waters.) 

Van  t'leff.  A. — The  Hot  Springs  of  .Arkansas.  Harper's  Monthly  Magazine, 
Vol.  LVI,  January,  1878,  pp.  193-210.  Many  illustrations. 

Descriptions  of  the  City  of  Hot  Springs,  its  tourist  attractions  and  state- 
ments of  the  curative  qualities  of  the  Hot  Springs  waters  is  contained  in 
illustrated  literature  issued  by  the  Business  Men's  League  of  Hot  Springs,  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Railroad,  St.  Louis,  and  Rock  Island  Railroad,  Chicago. 

Pu.'Jwe.  A.  H. — The  collecting  area  of  the  waters  of  the  hot  springs.  Hot 
Springs,  Arkansas:  Jour.  Geol.,  Vol.  18,  Pp.  278-285,  1910.  Indiana  Acad.  Sci., 
i'roc..  1909,  Pp.  269-275.  1910. 


LIST    OF    SPRINGS    AND    WELLS. 

(Analyses  or  Qualitative  tests  shown  in  Annual  Report,  Arkansas  Geological 

Survey,  1891,  Vol  1) 

Armstrong  Springs,  White  county,  clear  odorless,  sparkling  with  slight 
chalybeate  taste. 

Baker's   Sulphur  Springs,   Howard   County. 

Big  Chalybeate  Spring.  Garland  county;  flow,  268,540  gallons  in  24  hours 
slightly  effervescent. 

Big  Spring,  Phillips  county. 

Black  Springs,  Montgomery  county. 

Blalock    Springs,    Polk    county,    analysis    shows    sulphretted    hydrogen. 

Blanco  Spring,  Garland  county. 

Blue  Springs,  Carroll  county. 

Bon  Air  (Chalybeate)  Spring,  Stone  county;  clear,  heavily  impregnated 
with  iron. 

Cox's  Alum   Spring,   Scott   county. 

Crystal  Springs,  Montgomery  county 

Diamond  Springs,  Benton  county,  one  mile  east  of  Rogers;  clear  and 
sparkling,  furnishes  water  for  city  of  Rogers. 

Dallas  Town  Spring,  Polk  county. 

De  Soto  Spring,  Marion  county. 

Dove  Park  (Brown)  Springs,  Hot  Spring  county;  pleasant  taste,  no  odor, 
analysis  shows  iron. 

Electric  Spring,  Benton  county  near  Rogers;  lime  water  with  small 
quantities  of  the  alkalies. 

Elixir  Spring,  Boone  county;  contains  less  solid  matter  in  solution  than 
any  of  the  springs  of  the  north  part  of  the  state  that  have  been  analyzed. 

Esculapia  Springs,  Benton  county,  three  miles  from  Rogers. 

Eureka  Springs,  Carroll  county;  the  strongest  flowing  are  Basin  and 
Sycamore  springs.  These  waters  are  remarkable  for  their  purity  containing 
only  from  five  to  seven  grains  of  solids  per  gallon.  They  contain  mainly 
carbonates  of  lime  and  magnesia,  with  small  amounts  of  sulphates,  chlorides 
and  alkalies. 


150  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Frisco  Spring,  Benton  county,  in  township  19  N.,  29  W.,  section  33. 

Grandmas  Chase's  Springs,  Garland  county,  six  miles  northwest  of 
Hot  Springs,  including  Red  Chalybeate  and  Dripping  Springs.  The  water 
from  Dripping  Spring  is  tasteless  and  odorless,  with  a  neutral  reaction 
and  no  deposit  of  iron;  that  from  Chalybeate  Spring  forms  a  deposit  of 
reddish  brown  hydroxide  of  iron;  is  clear  and  has  a  slight  odor,  but  no 
sulphretted  hydrogen. 

Gray's  Spring,  Howard  county. 

Gillon's  White  Sulphur  Spring,  Garland  county. 

Griffin  Spring,  White  county;  four  miles  north  of  Searcy;  water  is 
strongly  chalybeate. 

Happy  Hollow  Spring,  -Garland  county,  near  Arlington  Hotel,  in  City 
of  Hot  Springs;  water  colorless,  odorless  and  tasteless,  with  neutral  reaction. 

Happy  Hollow  Chalybeate  Spring,  Garland  county,  near  Happy  Hollow 
Spring,  above  described,  water  has  faint  chalybeate  taste,  is  colorless 
and  odorless. 

Homing  Hill  Spring,  Pulaski  county,  on  the  General  Garland  place 
southwest  of  Little  Rock. 

Howard's  Mineral  Wells,  Independence  county,  near  Sharp's  Cross 
Roads,  seven  miles  northwest  of  Batesville;  waters  are  highly  charged 
with  mineral  salts,  are  colorless  and  odorless,  with  a  saline  taste. 

Intermittent  Spring,  Marion  county. 

Jackson  Spring,  Marion  county. 

Lithia  Spring,  Baxter  county. 

Lithia  Spring,  Hempstead  county;  five  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Hope. 

Long  Spring,  Hempstead  county. 

Mineral  Springs,  Clark  county,  two  miles  northwest  of  Antoine. 

Magazine  Spring  (Ellington's  Gas  Well),  Logan  county,  mile  from 
Magazine;  water  is  clear;  bubbles  of  gas  which  rise  in  pipe  may  be  ignited; 
no  reaction  for  sulphuretted  hydrogen. 

Mammoth  Spring,  Fulton  county  largest  spring  in  the  United  States: 
flows  like  a  rr^at  river  from  side  of  low  rocky  ridge;  clear  with  even 
temperature  of  60°  F.,  discharge  estimate  at  9,000  barrels  a  minute;  so 
large  an  amount  of  carbonic  acid  is  held  in  solution  that  the  surface  of  the 
wonderful  fountain  is  in  a  continual  state  of  effervesence. 

Mineral  Spring,  Howard  county;  small  deposit  of  iron  oxide. 

Mountain  Spring,  Lonoke  county;  five  miles  northwest  from  Austin; 
considerable  deposit  of  iron. 

Mountain  Valley  Spring,  twelve  miles  north  of  Hot  Springs;  tastes 
of  iron;  reaction  neutral, 

Mt.  Nebo  Springs,  Yell  county;  near  Dardanelle;  located  on  bench  of 
mountain. 

National  Spring,  Logan  county;  in  town  of  National;  water  is  clear  and 
forms  no  sediment  of  iron. 

Pinnacle  Spring.  Faulkner  county;   water  forms  a  heavy  deposit  of  iron. 

Poison  Spring,  Carroll  county. 

Potash  Sulphur  Springs,  Garland  county;  seven  miles  southeast  of 
Hot  Springs.  Glauber's  Salt  is  the  ciiief  mineral  constituent,  of  the  water. 

Searcy  Sulphur  Spring,  White  county,  in  city  of  Searcy;  gas  bubbles 
from  water. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


151 


Mammoth    Spring.   Arkansas,   the    Largest   Spring    in 
the  World 


152  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Silurian  Springs,  Benton  county;  water  flows  from  chert  formation; 
clear,  cool  and  pure. 

Starne  Springs,  Independence  county,  thirteen  miles  southwest  of  Bates- 
vllle;  chalybeate. 

Sugar  Loaf  Spring,  Cleburne  county,  in  Heber  Springs,  six  springs  are 
enclosed  in  a  park,  Arsenic,  White  Sulphur,  Black  Sulphur,  Chalybeate,  Red 
Sulphur  and  Eye  Springs. 

Silver  Spring,  Benton  county,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  bountiful 
springs  in  Arkansas. 

Springfield  Town  Spring,  Conway  county. 

State  Salt  Spring,  Franklin  county;   saline. 

Sulphur  Spring,  Newton  County;  nine  miles  from  Harrison.  There  are 
several  sulphur  springs  in  this  vicinity. 

Stonewall  Spring,  Marion  county. 

Sulphur  Spring,  Benton  county. 

Sulphur  Spring,  Yell  county. 

Tom  Thumb  Spring,  Newton  county;  six  miles  from  Marble  City  and 
fifteen  miles  from  Harrison,  on  the  west  side  of  Gaither  Cave;  water  is  clear, 
odorless  and  has  a  slightly  alkaline  taste. 

Valley  Springs,  Boone  county;  two  large  springs  of  clear,  cold  water 
flow  from  chert  bed. 

Watula   Spring,  Franklin   county;    north   of  Ozark. 

Washington  County  Springs;  descriptions  and  analyses  of  several  springs. 

Waters  Spring,  Garland  county,  four  miles  southeast  of  Hot  Springs. 

Winona  Springs.  Carroll  county;  six  miles  southeast  of  Eureka  Springs. 

REFERENCES. 

Purdue,  A.  H. — Notes  on  the  wells,  springs  and  general  water  resources 
of  Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Water  Supply  and  Irrigation  Paper,  102. 
Washington,  1904. 

Northern  Arkansas — Underground  waters  of  eastern  United  States.  U.  S. 
Geol.  Surv.,  Water  Supply  and  Irrigation  Paper,  No.  114,  Washington,  1905. 

Water  resources  of  the  contact  region  between  the  Paleozoic  and  Missis- 
sippi embayment  deposits  in  northern  Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Water- 
Supply  and  Irrigation  Paper,  No.  145,  Washington,  1905. 

Water  resources  of  the  Winslow  Quadrangle,  Arkansas.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv., 
Water-Supply  and  Irrigation  Paper,  No.  145,  Washington,  1905. 

Darton,  IV.  H. — Preliminary  list  of  the  deep  borings  in  the  United  States. 
Part  I.,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Water-Supply  and  Irrigation  Papers,  No.  57,  Wash- 
ington, 1902.  (Arkansas,  p.  12.)  Second  edition,  Bulletin  No.  149,  Washington, 
1905.  (Arkansas,  pp.  11-14.) 

Veatch,  A.  C. — The  underground  waters  of  northern  Louisiana  and  south- 
ern Arkansas,  with  introductory  remarks  by  G.  D.  Harris.  Bulletin  No.  1, 
of  the  Louisiana  Geol.  Surv.,  Baton  Rouge,  1905. 

Geology  and  underground  water  resources  of  northern  Louisiana  and 
southern  Arkansas.  Professional  Paper,  No.  46,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washing- 
ton, 1906. 

Adams,  Geo.  I. — Summary  of  the  water  supply  of  the  Ozark  region  in 
northern  Arkansas.  Contributions  to  the  hydrology  of  eastern  United  States, 
1904.  Water  Supply  and  Irrigation  Paper,  No.  110,  Washington,  1905. 

Branner,  John  C. — Annual  Report  of  the  Geol.  Surv.  of  Arkansas  for  1891, 
Vol.  I.  The  mineral  waters  of  Arkansas,  Little  Rock,  1892. 

Crider,  A.  F. — Drainage  of  wet  land  in  Arkansas  by  wells.  Water-Supply 
and  Irrigation  Paper  No.  160,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Washington,  1906. 

Hopkins,  T.  C. — Springs:  the  influence  of  stratigraphy  on  their  emergence, 
as  illustrated  in  the  Ozark  uplift.  American  Geologist,  December,  1894,  with 
plate. 

Stcphenson.  I,,  w.,  and  Crider,  A.  F. — Geology  and  Ground  Waters  of 
Northwestern  Arkansas.  IT.  S.  Geol.  Surv..  Water-Supply  Papers,  No.  399. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  153 

Alphabetical  List  of  Minor  Minerals,  Not  Including 
Magnet  Cove. 

Agate. — Finely  variegated;   Montgomery  county. 

Agalmatolite. — In  pockets  in  shale,  and  as  "selvage"  in  quartz  seams; 
Saline  County;  Garland  County;  commonly;  generally  distributed  in  other 
counties. 

Agaric  Mineral. — Fine  powdery  incrustations  on  rocks  or  in  crevices; 
coating  of  silvery  shale,  Montgomery  County;  in  Peacock  lode,  Logan 
county. 

Aluminite. — This,  or  a  closely  allied  earthy  mineral  in  Tertiary  clays; 
Pulaski,  Saline,  Hot  Spring,  Pike,  Sevier,  and  Polk  counties,  and  northward. 

Alunogen. — Reported  by  Purdue  from  Searcy  County. 

Aprodite. — In  beds  or  masses;   Pulaski  and  Garland  counties. 

Aragonite. — Occasionally  as  "flos-ferri"  in  iron  ore  deposits;  distribution 
general,  though  not  abundant. 

Asbolite. — Sparingly  in  pockets  or  crevices  among  shales  and  intrusive 
rocks;  Ouachita  River,  south  of  Hot  Springs;  possibly  in  Montgomery  county 
also. 

Azurite. — See  Copper. 

Bartholomite. — Incrustation  in  crevices  as  result  of  decomposition  of 
pyrite;  probably  some  of  the  red  copperas,  as  at  Rabbit  Foot  mine,  Saline 
County,  is  this  or  the  allied  mineral,  Botryogen. 

Barite. — Scattering  deposits  in  Pike,  Polk,  Pulaski,  Saline,  Garland  and 
Montgomery  counties. 

Basanite. — In  beds,  much  jointed,  in  axes  of  uplifts;   Pulaski  County. 

Braunite. — See  Manganese. 

Biotite. — Sparingly  in  granitic  rocks. 

Breunerite. — Iron-magnesium  carbonate;  shading  off  into  ankerite  and 
dolomite,  in  similar  situations;  distribution  irregular. 

Brucite. — Hydrous  magnesium  oxide;  occasional  in  masses  of  serpentine; 
Saline  county. 

Cadmium. — See  Greenockite. 

Chrysolite. — In  crystals  and  disseminated  grains  in  igneous  and  meta- 
morphic  rocks,  some  peridotites;  Fourche  Mountain  and  northwestwards; 
Pulaski  and  Saline  counties;  Murfreesboro. 

Calamine. — See  Zinc. 

Chalcopyrite. — Sevier  county,  west  of  Gilham;   not  mined. 

Celestite  (Strontium  Sulphate). — Howard,  Pike,  and  Sevier  counties, 
as  thin  layer  in  lower  Cretaceous  limestone. 

Copperas. — Iron  sulphate.  (Malenterite),  strictly,  but  blue  vitrol  (Chal- 
canthite)  is  included  popularly;  Melanterite  appears  to  be  more  abundant 
than  chalcanthite. 

Cerusite. — See  Lead. 

Dolomite. — Ferriferous  and  cobalteferous;  Hot  Spring,  Polk,  Scott,  and 
Logan  counties. 

Eleoiite. — In  coarse  crystals  in  granite  rock;  also  in  massive  rocks; 
distribution  general  and  abundant  in  regions  of  metamorphic  rocks.  Pulaski 
Saline,  Garland,  Hot  Spring,  Montgomery,  Pike,  and  Polk  counties. 


154  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

Epsom  Salt. — In  caves  and  old  mine  tunnels  in  north  Arkansas. 
Fluospar. — Garland  County,  near  Lawrence;  not  mined. 

Fiorite  (Opal). — in  form  of  Pealite,  etc.;  products  of  hot  springs;  sand 
Carbonate  mine,  Saline  County. 

Freibergite. — Kellogg  and  McRae  mines,  Pulaski  County,  Silver  City 
region,  Montgomery  County,  Sevier  County;  not  mined. 

Girasol,  (Opal). — About  ancient  hot  spring  bowls,  with  tendency  to 
cuboidal  jointing. 

Greenockite. — In  zinc  and  lead  districts  of  north  Arkansas. 
Greensands. — See  Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk. 

Halotrichite. — Incrustations  in  black  shale;  Sloan's  well,  Black  Spring, 
Montgomery  County;  Cox's  Alum  Springs  near  Boles,  Scott  County. 

Hydrozincite. — See  Zinc. 

Jasper. — Of  various  colors,  among  the  ancient  hot  spring  deposits; 
Montgomery  County;  Caddo  Gap,  Polk  County;  Eagle  Hill. 

Jefferisite. — Micaceous,  swells  enormously  when  highly  heated;  asso- 
ciated with  aegerite-rock,  and  among  other  metamorphic  rocks,  as  serpen- 
tine; North  of  Magnet  Cove;  Garland  and  Hot  Spring  counties;  south  of 
Hot  Springs;  McAllister's  mill,  Saline  County;  Montgomery  county. 

Labradorite. — Lime-soda  feldspar;  as  base  of  intrusive  rocks,  in  basaltic 
and  other  basic  rocks. 

Marls. — See  Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk. 

Melanterite. — In  incrustations,  etc.,  rarely  pure;  Rabbit  Foot  mine,  Sa- 
line County. 

Malachite. — Garland  County,  at  Hot  Springs,  in  ledge  of  rock  several 
feet  in  thickness;  not  mined. 

Mellite,  (Honey  Stone). — As  incrustations  on  sandstones  of  coal  meas- 
ures; Scott  and  Franklin  counties. 

Mica,  (Biotite). — Garland  County,  at  Potash  Sulphur  Springs. 

Nitre,  (Saltpeter). — In  dry  caverns  in  limestone  regions  of  north  Ar- 
kansas. 

Orthoclase,  (Potash  feldspar). — Pulaski,  Saline  and  Hot  Spring  coun- 
ties, in  granitic  and  allied  rocks. 

Newton ite. — Pure  white,  soft,  compact,  inflexible,  specific  gravity,  2.37, 
Newton  County. 

Oilstone. — See  Novaculite. 

Pyrophyllite. — In  serpentine  and  steatite;    Saline  County  soapstone  dis- 
trict, eastern  end.     Also  reported  by  Purdue  from  Searcy  County. 
Psilomelane. — See  Manganese. 
Petroleum. — See  Oil. 

Pyroxene. — Only  the  non-aluminous  green  coccolite  has  been  distinctly 
recognized,  but  other  varieties  may  occur. 
Pyrolusite. — See  Manganese. 
Reddle.— See  Paint  Minerals. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  155 

Serpentine. — Usually  massive  or  in  grains;  in  beds  or  masses  of  wide 
extent.  Ten  miles  north  of  Ben  ton;  in  imbedded  patches  in  quartz,  north 
of  Blocher,  Saline  County  . 

Smithsonite. — See  Zinc. 

Stannite,  Tin  Sulp'hide.  Tin  Pyrites. — Suspected,  in  small  quantity, 
because  pyritous  rock  shows  traces  of  tin;  Silver  World  mine,  Polk  County. 

Stibnite. — See  Antimony. 

Sulphur. — In  small  crystals  in  the  upper  opening  of  the  Silver  Hollow 
mines  on  the  east  bank  of  Buffalo  River  below  the  mouth  of  Rush  Creek, 
at  the  opening  on  the  bed  of  iron  pyrites  on  the  Keeling  place  on  Toma- 
hawk Creek,  and  at  a  few  other  places  in  north  Arkansas  where  small 
quantities  of  pyrites  are  exposed. 

Soapstone. — See  Talc. 

Sphalerite. — See  Zinc. 

Strontium. — See  Celestite. 

Syenite. — See  Granite. 

Thuringite. — In  pockets  and  hot  springs  deposits;  Hot  Springs  and 
northward  in  Garland  County. 

Travertine,  or  Tufa,  Calcareous. — Deposited  by  springs  and  streams,  lo- 
cally; impure  and  not  abundant;  in  northern  districts  where  dolomites  out- 
crop; Yell  and  Garland  counties,  also  in  north  Polk  County. 

Variscite. — Montgomery  County,  translucent  and  transparent,  emerald, 
bluish-green;  not  mined. 

Wad. — See  Manganese. 

Whetstone. — See  Novaculite. 


156  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Magnet  Cove. 

Magnet  Cove  has  long  been  known  to  mineralogists  as  a  locality  for  many 
rare  and  beautiful  as  well  as  useful  minerals  and  there  is  hardly  a  cabinet 
of  minerals  in  the  world  that  does  not  contain  numerous  specimens  from  this 
renowned  district.  This  small  area  is  of  great  interest  not  only  to  the 
mineralogist,  but  to  the  petrographer  both  on  account  of  the  number  of 
varieties  of  rock  found  there  and  of  the  many  instances  in  which  the  as- 
sociation of  the  rocks  is  such  that  an  insight  into  their  genetic  relations  may 
be  obtained. 

In  describing  this  locality  Dr.  Branner  says: 

"The  Cove  is  the  relic  of  an  ancient  basin  of  thermal  springs.  The 
proof  of  this  is  apparent  in  the  mounds  within  the  basin  and  in  the  special 
character  of  the  deposits  of  which  these  mounds  are  composed.  One  of 
these  mounds,  made  up  of  ferrous  dolomite  (brown  spar)  partly  altered  to 
ankerite  near  the  surface,  and  connected  with  the  outcrop  of  siliceous  dolo- 
mite, occurs  upon  the  Snow  farm  in  section  19,  3  S,  17  W.  At  the  southern 
base  of  this  exposure  is  a  large  deposit  of  very  coarsely  crystalline  calcite 
intermingled  with  crystalline,  aah-gray  siderite. 

"About  the  middle  of  the  Cove  there  is  a  deposit  of  magnetite,  the  frag- 
ments of  which  cover  some  40  acres.  This  mineral  occurs  in  fragments 
scattered  over  the  surface  and  imbedded  in  the  soil.  It  does  not  seem  to 
be  in  place.  It  is  claimed  that  the  deposit  is  not  merely  superficial,  though 
no  one  appears  to  have  any  knowledge  of  a  solid  bed  of  the  material. 

(The  magnetite  of  Magnet  Cove  is  in  the  form  of  lodestone  and  will  at- 
tract pieces  of  iron  as  does  an  ordinary  magnate.) 

"On  the  outcrop  side  of  the  ridge  north  of  the  Cove  there  are  many 
deep  pits  or  basins  of  various  sizes,  all  of  which  have  a  comparatively  nar- 
row wall  of  pealite,  the  structure  of  which  shows  that  it  was  accumulated 
by  slow  accretion.  In  every  case  there  is  a  gulch  leading  off  from  the 
bowl  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  clear  that  each  spring  acted  as  a  feeder 
to  a  stream  of  its  own.  Any  one  who  has  given  attention  to  the  subject  in 
such  a  region  as  the  Yellowstone  Park,  will  at  once  recognize  here  the  in- 
fallible signs  of  the  same  kind  of  activity.  There  is  a  deep  seated  local 
prejudice,  however,  in  favor  of  the  reference  of  these  pits  to  the  category 
of  ancient  mines,  or  "Spanish  diggings,"  but  there  is  no  evidence  sustaining 
this  theory.  No  miner  of  any  age  or  people  ever  sank  pits  upon  the  very 
brink  of  a  precipice  without  breaking  away  the  outer  wall,  if  it  were  only 
two  or  three  feet  or  less  in  thickness.  Some  think  that  the  nearly  level 
rims  are  the  dumps,  but  no  one  would  take  pains  to  raise  dumps  above  the 
original  level:  in  other  words,  to  build  up  a  shaft,  when  the  waste  could 
easily  be  thrown  down  150  feet  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  Moreover,  these 
bowls  are  invariably  associated  with  the  porcelain  sinters,  and  the  only 
thing  about  any  of  them  approaching  the  dump  structure  is  the  mass  of 
debris  which  has  fallen  into  the  pit  itself,  while  there  are  numerous  evi- 
dences that  hot  water  poured  over  the  edges  and  deposited  siliceous  layers 
by  evaporation,  thus  building  up  a  rim  exactly  as  hot  springs  are  else- 
where doing  today." — Report  Arkansas  Geological  Survey.  Vol.  II,  1890. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  157 


Minerals    Found    In    Magnet    Cove. 

Actinolite,  Magnesium-calcium-iron  silicate  (Ampfoibole). — Occasional  in 
granitic  rocks. 

Aegirite,  Aluminium-calcium-iron-soda  silicate. — near  phyrbxene,  with  al- 
kalies; in  granitic  rocks,  with  labradorite;  also  enclosed  in  microline. 

A|bite _Sodium-aluminium    silicate.      (Feldspar).— Sparingy   in   granitic 

rocks. 

Allophane,  Hydrous  aluminium,  silicate. — Incrustations  in  crevices,  etc. 

Almandite,  Iron-aluminium  silicate.  (See  Garnet) .—Crystals  aboundant 
in  wash,  also  in  granitic  rocks. 

Ankerite,  Calcium-magnesium-iron  carbonate. — In  seams,  crevices,  etc., 
and  in  larger  masses,  in  calcerous  rocks;  shades  into  dolomite  and  calcite. 

Apatite,  Calcium  phosphate  and  chloride  (or  fluoride). — In  crystalline 
rocks;  also  associated  with  dolomites. 

Aplome. — Part  of  the  common  iron  garnet  is  in  this  form. 

Arkansite,  Titanic  acid  (Variety  of  Brookite).— Thick  black  crystals, 
(orthorhombic). 

Augite,  Aluminium-mangeslum-calcium-iron  silicate  (Pyroxene). — In  ba- 
sic igneous  rocks. 

Aventurine  quartz. — Quartz  spangled  with  scales  or  other  mineral; 
intercalcated  with  black  shales;  Micaceous. 

Bowenite. — See  Serpentine;   some  of  the  serpentine  is  of  this  character. 

Braunite,  Manganese  sesquioxide  and  silicate. — In  veins  or  intrusions. 

Brookite,  Titantic  acid. — See  Arkansite.  (Var.)  See  Psuedobrookite; 
occasional  reddish  or  hair-brown  crystals  as  "float,"  but  Arkansite  is  most 
common. 

Chrysolite. — In  crystals  and  disseminated  grains. 

Coccolite. — Variety  of  lime-magnesia,  pyroxene  (Malacolite) ;  in  gran- 
itic rocks. 

Cinnamon  stone. — In  float  and  in  metamorphic  rocks. 

Dog-Tooth  Spar. — This  variety  of  calcite  less  common  than  rhombo- 
hedrons. 

Dolomite,  Calcium-magnesium  carbonate. — In  beds  interstratified  with 
grits  above  the  tripartite  shales.  Perhaps  some  also  below  this  horizon  more 
siliceous.  Also  associated  with  sepentinous  rocks. 

Fahlunite,  Hydrous  silicate  of  Hydro-mica  group.  (Hydrous  lime  mica.) 
— From  alteration  of  lolite.  Usually  in  granitic  or  hornblende  rocks. 

Garnet. — Include  here  Almandite,  Andradite,  Aplome,  Grossularite.  See 
Schorlomite.  All  occur  in  "float,"  also  in  garnet  rock  (grossular)  and  in 
granitic  and  feldspathic  rocks. 

Geyserite,  Silica  (Opal). — See  Pealite,  Fiorite,  Girasol,  Siliceous  sin- 
ter. (Opal).  In  heavy  deposits  covering  large  areas,  but  of  varying  char- 
acter. See  under  special  names;  Porcelain  variety  (Girasol)  like  Yellow- 
stone Park  deposits  north  of  Magnet  Cove,  at  "Spanish  diggings." 

Grossularite. — See  Garnet.  Grossular  rock  and  other  non-crystalline  or 
crypto-crystalline  forms. 

Hornblende,  Aluminous  magnesia-iime  Amphibole. — In  syenites;  Dia- 
mond Jo  quarry  and  other  places  near  and  in  Magnet  Cove. 

Hydrotitanite,  Altered  Perofskite. — In  crystals,  locally,  form  perofaklte, 
but  gray  color. 


158  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


HyperstherVe,  Magnesia-iron-gjlicate. — Some  of  the  labradorite  rock, 
bearing  brookite  crystals,  has  also  this  mineral. 

Idocrase,  Aluminium-calcium-iron-magnesia  silicate. — Vesuvianite  (Syn.); 
as  idocrase  rock,  sometimes  with  imbedded  crystals. 

lolite,  Alumina  silicate,  with  other  bases. — In  metamorphic  rocks,  rarely 
in  unaltered  condition.  See  Fahlunite  for  altered  forms. 

Limonite,  Hydrous  iron  sesquioxide. 

Magnetite,  Magnetic  iron  ore. — In  crystalline  metamorphic  rocks;  in  a 
local  deposit  at  surface  and  in  soil  in  fragments;  magnetic;  abundant. 

Melanite. — Lime-iron  Garnet,  black  variety  of  Andradite;  or  Aplome; 
loose  crystals  and  in  rock. 

Mica.— (Biotite.) 

Microcline,  Alkaline  alumina  silicate;  triclinic  potash-feldspar. — Green- 
ish, in  granitic  rocks,  with  aegirites;  othoclase  or  albite,  sometimes  assoc- 
iated with  it. 

Octahedrite,  Titanic  oxide. — Close  to  Rutile.  See  also  Brookite.  Oc- 
curs sparingly  with  Brookite,  Rutile  and  Arkansite,  also  as  imbedded  crys- 
tals in  feldspathic  or  garnet  base. 

Oligoclase,  Triclinic  soda-lime  feldspar. — With  orthoclase  in  metamor- 
phic (granitic)  rocks.  Not  very  abundant,  apparently;  in  syenite,  more  or 
less. 

Opal,  Silicia. — In  certain  ancient  hot  spring  deposits. 

Ozarkite,  Hydrous  aluminium  silicate,  with  calcium  and  sodium;  mas- 
sive variety  of  Thomsonite. — In  masses  like  beds  or  intrusious  of  uncertain 
relations. 

Pealite,  Silicia;  variety  of  Opal,  or  Fiorite. — In  crumbling  masses,  usu- 
ally with  hard  nuclei;  constituent  of  old  hot  spring  throats;  sand  carbon- 
ate mine. 

Perofskite,  Titanic  and  calcium  oxides. — In  cubes,  octahedrons,  etc.,  and 
fine  twin  crystals. 

Finite,  Hydrous  alkaline  silicate;  Speckstein  (Syn.). — A  group  well  rep- 
resented, but  needing  more  study;  in  granitic  rocks,  pseudomorphous  after 
lolite?  Also  other  species  probably  pseudomorphous  after  nephelite  and 
other  minerals;  other  members  of  the  pinite  group  occur  here  and  elsewhere; 
Finite  schist  occurs  at  junction  of  quarts  with  black  shale. 

Prase. — See  Quartz.     Old  deposits  of  altered  quartz. 

Pseudobrookite,  Titanic  and  iron  oxide. — An  iron  bearing  mineral,  near 
brookite,  is  probably  this. 

Rutile,  Titanic  oxide. — In  loose  crystals  and  in  metamorphic  rocks,  im- 
bedded. Abundant  in  float. 

Schorlomite,  Calcium-iron  silicate  and  titanite;  near  Staurolite;  Crys- 
tals, scattered. — Dr.  Koenig  of  Philadelphia  finds  the  schloromite  reported 
from  this  locality  to  be  titaniferous  garnet. 

Silex,  Silica. — Name  sometimes  used  as  synonymous  with  quartz;  Peal- 
ite is  opal,  and  occurs  in  places  where  ancient  hot  springs  made  surface  de- 
posits. 

Siliceous  sinter,  Silica. — Opal  or  quartz;  Pealite  is  opal,  and  occurs 
in  places  where  ancient  hot  springs  made  surface  deposits. 

Smoky  Quartz,  Silica. — Variety  of  Quartz;  in  vein-like  portions  of  beds; 
apparently  more  common  in  the  regions  where  millstone  grit  is  exposed. 

Sunstone,  pink  or  gray. — Cut  for  ornaments. 


OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  159 


Talc,  hydrous  magnesium  silicate. — Talcose  shales  and  talc  schists  in 
beds  and  pockets  with  black  shale. 

Vesuvianite. — Yellowish  green  to  olive  green  crystals;  not  mined. 

Wavellite,  Hydrous  aluminium  phosphate. — Common  in  radiated,  spher- 
ical and  hemispherical  crystalline  aggregations,  and  in  similar  forms  thickly 
spread  over  rock  surfaces. 

Titanium. — See  Brookite,  Octahedrite,  and  Rutile. 


REFERENCES. 

Dana,  Edw.  S. — On  the  brookite  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  American 
Journal  of  Science,  3d  series,  Vol.  CXXXII,  New  Haven,  1886. 

Hillebrand,  W.  P. — Distribution  and  quantitative  occurrence  of  vanadium 
and  molybdenum  in  rocks  of  the  U.  S.  American  Journal  of  Science,  1898, 
Vol.  VI.  (Note  on  p.  216  has  determination  of  vanadium  in  protovermiculite 
from  Magnet  Cove.) 

Florence,  W. — Darstellung  Mikroskopischer  Krystalle  in  Lothrohrperlen, 
Von  W.  Florence,  Berg.  u.  Hutteningenieur  in  Soa  Paulo.  Neues  Jahrbuch  for 
Mineralogie,  Geologic  u.  Paloantologie,  Jahrg.  1898,  Vol.  II.  (Reference  to 
perofskite  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.) 

The  foyite-ijolite  series  of  Magnet  Cove.  A  chemical  study  of  diceren- 
tiation.  Journal  of  Geology,  October-November,  1901,  Vol.  IX,  Chicago,  1901. 
Journal  of  Geology,  November-December,  1901,  Vol.  IX,  Chicago,  1901.  Re- 
view, Geological  Magazine,  Vol.  IX,  London,  April,  1902. 

Kunz,  Geo.  F. — Perofskite  and  wavellite  from  Arkansas.  Transactions 
New  York  Academy  of  Science,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  17-18,  New  York,  1883. 

Williams,  J.  Francis. — Eudialyte  and  eucolite  from  Magnet  C&ve,  Ar- 
kansas. American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  GXL,  New  Haven,  1890;  also  sep- 
arate. Abstract,  Neues  Jahrbuch  for  Mineralogie,  Vol.  II,  Stuttgart,  1893. 
Abstract,  Groth's  Zeitschrift  fur  Krystallographic  u.  Mineralogie,  Vol.  XX, 
Leipzig,  1892. 

Smith,  J..  Lawrence  and  llrusli.  Geo.  J. — Elaeolite  from  Magnet  Cove. 
American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  LXVI,  New  Haven,  1850. 

Melville,  W.  H. — Natroline  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  Bulletin  No.  90, 
U.  S.  Geological  Surv.,  Washington,  1892.  Abstract,  Groth's  Zeitschrift  fur 
Krystallographie  u.  Mineralogie,  Vol.  XXIV,  Leipzig,  1895. 

Mar,  F.  W. — So-called  perofskite  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  CXL,  New  Haven,  1890.  Abstract,  Groth's  Zeit- 
schrift fur  Krystallographie  u.  Mineralogie,  Vol.  XX.  Leipzig,  1892. 

Shepard,  Charles  I  ph. -i m. — Eudialyte  in  Arkansas.  American  Journal  of 
Science,  Vol.  LXXXVII,  second  series.  Eudialyte  from  Magnet  Cove,  New 
Haven,  1864. 

Rath,  G.  vom. — Mineralogische  Beitrage,  Verh.  Nat.  Ver.  Preuss.  Rheinl. 
Jahrg.,  Vol.  XXXIV,  (1877),  (Rutile  from  Magnet  Cove). 

Penfield,  S.  L,.,  and  Pirsson,  L,.  V. — Eudialyte,  titanite  and  monticellite  from 
Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  CXLI,  New  Haven, 
1891. 

Brookite  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas.  American  Journal  of  Science,  3d 
ser.,  Vol.  CXXXI,  New  Haven,  1886. 

Harris,  G.  D. — Magnetic  Rocks.  Science,  New  Ser.,  Vol.  XXIX,  New  York, 
Mar.  5,  1909. 

Genth,  F.  A. — Natrolite  from  Magnet  Cove.  American  Journal  of  Science, 
3d  ser.,  Vol.  CXLIII,  New  Haven,  1892. 

Contributions  to  Mineralogy,  Eudialyte,  etc.,  from  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas. 
American  Journal  of  Science,  3d  Ser.,  Vol.  CXLI,  N«w  Haxen,  1891. 


160  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 

Synopsis  of  the  Regulatory  State  Mining  Laws  of  Arkansas, 

(Act   April   4th,    1893.) 

Section  5337. — Owners  or  operators  of  mines  to  make  accurate  maps  or 
plans  of  same  and  file  same  with  the  county  clerk  and  keep  copy  in  their 
office  for  inspection.  When  new  maps  shall  be  made  and  filed. 

Section  5338. — On  failure  to  make  such  maps  inspector  to  make  same. 

Section  5339. — Escapements  to  be  made.     Time  for  making  same. 

Section  5340. — Ventilation  to  be  provided  for.  Mines  to  be  examined 
for  fire  damp.  Ventilation,  how  produced. 

Section  5341. — Bore  holes  to  be  provided  twenty  feet  in  advance  of 
working  place. 

Section  5342. — Means  of  signaling  to  be  provided  and  safe  means  of 
hoisting  and  lowering.  Manner  of  making  cages. 

Section  5343. — No  person  under  fourteen  or  female  of  any  age  allowed  to 
work  in  mines,  nor  any  boy  under  sixteen  unless  "he  can  read  and  write. 
Engineers  must  be  experienced  and  sober;  not  under  eighteen  years  old. 
Number  of  persons  to  ascend  and  descend  in  a  cage. 

Section  5344. — Gates  and  bonnets  to  be  furnished.  Safety  appliances 
for  engine  and  gang-ways. 

Section  5345. — Accidents  must  be  reported  to  mine  inspector,  and  in 
case  of  death  to  coroner.  The  inspector  to  investigate. 

Section  5346. — Governor  to  appoint  mine  inspector. 

Section  5347. — Duties. 

Section  5348. — Owners  to  furnish  necessary  facilities  for  examination  of 
mines.  Penalty  for  refusal. 

Section  5349. — Inspector  to  file  complaint  wit;*  circuit  court  for  violations 
of  act.  Duties  of  judge  in  such  cases. 

Section  5350.— Right  of  action  for  injury. 

Section   5351. — Misdemeanor   to   injure   any   appliance   of   a   mine. 

Section   5352. — Necessary  timber  for  props  to  be  kept  on  hand. 

Section   5353. — Weighman  and  check  weighman,  and  duties. 

Section  5354. — Penalty  for  inspector  to  fail  to  do  his  duty.  Proviso ;  only 
applies  to  coal  mines  and  miners  employing  over  twenty  men. 

Section  5355. — Operator  to  furnish  list  of  hands  to  sheriffs,  assessors 
and  collectors,  when:  penalty  for  refusal. 

Section  5356. — Coal  mine  operators  to  keep  correct  scales  and  measures. 
Two  miners  can  require  inspector  test. 

Section  5357 — Coal  to  be  weighed  before  screened,  unless  otherwise 
agreed.  Amended  by  Act  219,  Acts  of  1905,  and  Act  49,  Acts  1915. 

Section  5358. — Violation  of  act  misdemeanor. 

Lien  of  Miners. 

Section  5359. — Miner  given  lien  on  output  of  mine  and  all  machinery, 
tools,  etc. 

Mining  Claims. 

Section  5360. — Notices  of  all  kinds  to  be  filed  with  recorder  of  the  county. 
Section  5361. — Fees 


OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  161 


Section  5362. — Recorder  to  make  plat  in  record  book  of  eaon  claim 
located. 

Section   5363. — Limitation   of   actions   on. 

Section  5364. — Owner  or  agent  may  file  affidavit  of  assessment  work 
done. 

Section  5365. — Recorder  to  keep  record  plat  book  showing  all  legal 
subdivisions  affected  by  notice  with  a  complete  index. 

Section  5366. — Failure  to  keep  such  index  misdemeanor;  penalty. 

Later  Acts. 

Act  159  of  the  Acts  of  1911 — Provides  punfshment  for  lessees  for  defraud- 
ing lessors  of  royalties. 

Act  13,  Acts  of  1909 — Requires  corporations  doing  business  in  Arkansas 
to  have  two  regular  pay  days  each  month. 

Act  101,  Acts  of  1901 — Provides  that  companies  issuing  script  or  store 
orders  in  payment  of  wages,  shall  on  demand  redeem  at  face  value  in  lawful 
money.  This  law  upheld  by  Supreme  Court  of  Arkansas.  Other  laws 
subsequently  passed  declared  unconstitutional. 

Act  134,  Acts  of  1919 — Provides  wash  houses  at  coal  mines  with  hot 
and  cold  water,  shower  baths,  lockers  and  clothes  hangers;  state  mine 
inspector  given  general  supervision. 

Act  486,  Acts  of  1919 — Provides  a  board  of  five  examiner?  ';f«niposed 
of  two  miners,  two  operators  and  a  fifth  member  to  be  selected  oy  the  other 
four,  to  examine  and  issue  certificates  to  fire  bosses,  hoisting  engineers,  mine 
foremen  and  mine  inspectors,  provided  that  those  holding  positions  at  time 
Act  goes  into  effect  and  who  have  five  years  experience,  shall  be  granted 
certificates  without  examination  upon  payment  of  $3.00  fee;  specifies 
qualifications  of  applicants  and  provides  fees;  provides  that  certificates 
shall  be  issued  in  two  grades;  board  has  power  to  revoke  certificates  for 
sufficient  cause. 

Act  163,  Acts  of  1905  Amended  by  Act  268,  Acts  of  1905,  Authorizes 
all  persons  owning,  or  controlling  by  lease  or  purchase,  any  copper,  lead, 
zinc,  iron,  marble,  stone,  rock,  granite,  slate,  coal  or  other  mineral  lands  in 
the  State  of  Arkansas,  to  construct,  own  and  operate  short  connecting 
lines  of  railway  or  tramway,  and  granting  them  the  right  of  eminent  domain 
in  condemnation  suits. 

Act  69,  Acts  of  1907 — Known  as  the  bellow  Servant's  Act — Gives  right 
of  action  against  any  employer  for  injuries  or  death  resulting  to  his  agents, 
employees  or  servants,  eitfcer  from  the  employer's  negligence  or  from  the 
negligence  of  some  of  his  employees,  servants  or  agents;  applies  to  operators 
of  coal  mines  as  well  as  to  railroads. 


162 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


Soil   Areas   Surveyed    in   Arkansas. 


BRIEF  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SURVEY- 
ED SOILS  OF  ARKANSAS. 

Under  past  state  geological  surveys  no  attempt  has  been  made  to 
make  a  general  soil  survey  of  the  state,  though  such  information  would 
be  of  great  value  to  the  agricultural  industry.  Doctor  Branner  frequently 
comments  upon  the  characteristics  of  our  soils  with  reference  to  their  more 
profitable  utilization  in  the  producing  of  crops  and  gives  valuable  sugges- 
tions for  using  the  limestone  deposits  of  certain  areas  for  correcting  the 
acidity  of  soils  in  other  sections,  and  the  College  of  Agriculture  at  Fayette- 
ville,  with  the  aid  of  its  soil  experts,  has  given  some  attention  to  the  study 
of  the  various  soil  types.  However,  the  more  important  work  done  in  soil 
investigation  has  been  conducted  by  the  Federal  Government  through  the 
Bureau  of  Soils,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Complete  soil  surveys  have 
been  made  in  15  counties,  work  is  in  progress  in  several  other  counties, 
and  a  general  review  of  the  soils  of  some  10  other  counties  is  contained 
in  a  publication  entitled  "Soil  Reconnaissance  of  the  Ozark  Region  of 
Missouri  and  Arkansas."  Approximately  one-half  of  the  state's  area  is 
included  in  these  government  soil  surveys  and  it  is  understood  that  the 
work  will  be  continued  until  the  entire  state  is  surveyed.  With  active 
state  cooperation,  such  as  might  be  rendered  should  a  new  geological 
•survey  be  established,  this  work  would  be  more  quickly  completed  and  the 
farming  industry  would  be  lastingly  benefitted  for  a  knowledge  of  the  soil 
is  necessary  to  its  profitable  management.  Below  is  a  synopsis  of  publica- 
tions issued  by  the  Bureau  of  Soils,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  on 
Wie  subject  of  Arkansas  soils.  Each  of  these  reports  is  accompanied  by  a 
large  map  and  full  discussion  of  the  various  soil  types.  Copies  may  be  had 
upon  application  to  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  Washington,  D.  C.: 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  163 

SOIL  RECONNAISSANCE  OF  THE  OZARK  REGION. 

By   CHAS.   F.   MARBUT, 
Bureau  of  Soils,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 

The  region  as  a  whole  consists  of  three  main  subdivisions  or  belts  of 
country,  each  with  a  characteristic  expression,  differing  from  either  of  the 
others.  They  are:  (1)  The  Ozark  Dome,  (2)  the  Boston  Mountain  Plateau, 
and  (3)  the  Ouachita  Mountains. 

The  Ozark  Dome  is  an  elevated  region  known  as  the  Ozark  Mountains, 
the  Ozark  Plateau,  or  the  Ozark  Hills.  As  a  whole  it  is  topographically  an 
elongated  dome.  Its  axis  lies  in  a  northeast-southwe.st  direction,  its  eastern 
end  lying  approximately  on  the  Mississippi  River  about  50  miles  south  of 
St.  Louis  and  its  southwestern  end  in  northeastern  Oklahoma.  Its  eastern 
boundary,  so  far  as  this  report  is  concerned,  is  the  western  side  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  and  the  western  side  of  the  lowland  region  of  south- 
eastern Missouri  and  northeastern  Arkansas.  Its  southern  boundary  runs 
across  northern  Arkansas  from  Batesville  on  the  east  through  Fayetteville 
to  the  state  line  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Washington  county.  Its  west- 
ern boundary  extends  from  the  western  part  of  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  south- 
westward  across  the  Missouri-Kansas  line  near  the  northwestern  corner 
of  Jasper  county,  Mo.,  and  joins  the  southern  boundary  in  northeastern 
Oklahoma.  Its  northern  boundary  lies  a  few  miles  north  of  the  Missouri 
River.  This  report  covers  only  that  part  of  it  lying  south  of  the  river. 

The  Boston  Mountain  Plateau  is  an  elongated  block  of  high  land  lying 
in  a  southeast-northwest  position,  its  eastern  end  lying  along  the  western 
boundary  of  the  Mississippi  lowlands  in  Independence  and  White  counties 
Ark.,  and  its  western  end  extending  into  eastern  Oklahoma.  It  lies  between 
the  White  and  Arkansas  rivers,  the  greater  part  of  it  being  drained  to  the 
latter  stream.  It  includes  the  northern  part  of  the  sandstone-shale  region. 

The  Ouachita  Mountains  lie  south  of  the  southern  slope  of  the  Boston 
Mountain  Plateau,  and  includes  all  that  part  of  the  state  bounded  by  the 
plateau  on  the  north,  the  White  River  lowland  on  the  east,  and  the  Coastal 
Plain  on  the  south.  They  consist  of  alternating  narrow  eastwest  ridges 
separated  by  broad  lowland  belts  with  occasional  isolated  areas  of  flat- 
topped  plateaus,  none  of  the  latter,  however,  reaching  the  elevation  of  the 
Boston  Mountain  Plateau. 

Ozark    Dome. 

The  Ozark  Dome  is  a  large  area  and  includes  a  wide  range  of  conditions 
that  are  of  determining  influence  in  soil  building  and  in  agricultural  progress 
Its  several  parts  vary  widely  in  the  character  of  the  rock  underlying  the 
country,  in  the  topography,  and  to  a  considerable  ^xtent  in  climate.  These 
factors  have  caused  still  wider  variations  in  the  character  of  the  soils  which 
have  been  produced  by  thera(  and  sincp  economic  conditions  are  dependent 
on  the  combined  effect  of  all  these  factors  such  conditions  must  vary  more 
widely  than  any  one  of  the  natural  factors,  no  two  of  the  latter  neutralizing 
each  other. 

The  soils  are  alike  in  being  practically  all  residual,  leaving  out  of  con- 
sideration for  the  moment  the  alluvial  soils,  most  of  which  are  merely  re- 


164  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


worked  local  material.  They  are  alike  also  in  being  almost  universally  of  a 
grayish,  yellowish,  reddish,  or  brownish  color — some  color  other  than  black. 
They  differ  also  from  tiie  surrounding  prairie  soils  in  being  almost  uni- 
versally stony. 

In  the  Ozark  Dome  the  soils,  including  the  silty  phase  of  the  Fayette- 
ville,  have  been  differentiated  into  16  groups,  each  being  derived  from 
rocks  differing  from  those  of  each  of  the  other  groups  in  lithologic  character. 

The  area  including  the  soils  of  each  group,  with  one  or  two  minor  ex- 
ceptions, occurs  as  a  belt  of  varying  width  and  curving  more  or  tess  parallel 
with  the  boundaries  of  the  region.  The  whole  region  becomes,  therefore, 
one  of  concentrically  arranged  belts  of  soils,  few  of  them  making  a  complete 
circuit,  but  all  of  them  curving  with  the  curve  of  the  regional  boundary. 
In  some  cases  distribution  is  obscute  because  of  the  raggedness  of  the 
boundary  lines  due  to  dissection  and  because  of  the  varying  width  of  some  of 
of  the  belts.  The  area  of  Rough  stony  land  soils  is  the  center  around  which 
the  other  soils  are  grouped. 

Boston   Mountain  Plateau. 

The  soils  of  the  Boston  Mountain  Plateau  vary  in  texture  from  clays  to 
sands.  The  dominant  soils  are  sandy  loams,  loams,  clay  loams  and  clays. 
The  clays  lie  on  the  shale  beds  and  occur  most  abundantly,  therefore,  along 
the  north-front  slope,  on  the  various  valley-side  benches,  and  on  the  plateau 
surface.  The  latter  manner  of  occurence  is  most  common  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  plateau.  The  shale  beds  have  outcrop?  in  larger  areas  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  plateau  so  that  the  larger  areas  of  clay  soil  are  north- 
front  and  eastern  features.  Shale  beds  occur  in  the  western  and  central  parts 
of  the  plateau  also,  but  with  the  exception  of  one  thick  bed  forming  the  main 
mountain-side  bench,  they  seem  to  be  Ihinner  here  than  in  the  eastern  part. 
It  is  possible  that  the  smaller  proportions  of  smooth  plateau  surface  in  ttiis 
section  and  the  greater  proportion  of  slope  have  made  the  clay  beds  less 
effective  areally  soil  formers  by  limiting  their  outcrops  to  slopes.  In  such 
positions  the  shale  outcrops  occur  as  narrow  belts  along  the  slopes.  The  soils 
from  them  are  not  conspicious. 

The  sandy  loams  and  loams  occur  in  belts  and  areas  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  plateau  an-1  in  larger  areas  in  the  western  part.  They  are 
often  stony  and  are  usually  fine,  rather  than  course,  sandy  loams.  It  is 
probable  that  mechanical  analyses  of  most  of  these  soils  would  show  that 
they  should  be  classed  as  loams  rather  than  sandy  loams.  Sand  occur 
pratically  over  the  whole  area  of  the  plateau  and  the  clay  soils  usually  have 
an  inch  or  two  of  sand  overlying  them.  The  sandy  soils  also  usually  have  a 
considerable  proportion  of  clay  in  their  sub-surface  and  subsoil.  Sandy  soils 
predominate  along  the  whole  southern  border  of  the  plateau.  Shale  beds  are 
exposed,  but  the  smooth  surfaces  o?  considerable  size  are  underlain  by 
sandstone.  Mountain-side  benches  are  of  rare  occurence;  hence  the  clay 
beds  have  very  little  opportunity  to  express  themselves.  They  occur  in 
saddles  along  the  ridge  tops  and  in  a  few  small  ridge-top  areas.  Practic- 
ally all  these  soils  are  gray  on  the  surface,  yellow  in  the  subsurface,  and  red 
below  24  inches.  Only  occasionally  does  yellow  subsurface  color  persist 
downward. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  165 


Silt  soils  occur  on  the  flat  plateau  surfaces,  on  the  limestone  areas  of  th« 
north-front  slope  and  interior  basins,  and  in  the  red  cedar  areas  of  the 
southern  slope.  The  Plateau-top  areas  are  usually  the  leached  areas  of 
shale-derived  soils  where  the  clay  constituent  has  been  washed  down  Into 
the  subsoil.  The  limestone  soils  are  silty  clay  soils,  and,  like  the  othersj 
have  heavier  subsoils. 

True  sands  occur  very  rarely  only  in  places  where  the  clay  and  silt, 
normally  found  associated  with  the  soils,  have  been  washed  out. 

The  predominant  soil  color  is  gray  at  the  surface,  becoming  yellow  a 
few  inches  below  the  surface.  Below  the  yellow  layer  the  subsoils  are  red. 
Second  in  importance  of  the  soil  colors  is  probably  yellow,  followed  by 
red,  brown  and  black.  The  surface  inch  or  two  of  soil  is  almost  universally 
gray.  Beneath  this  the  yellow  appears.  Along  the  roadways  the  yellow  is 
made  more  prominent  by  the  grinding  of  the  soil  into  powder,  the  powdered 
soil  being  more  yellow  than  the  soil  in  place.  On  the  flat  areas  the  grays  are 
much  more  prominent,  especially  where  the  drainage  is  incomplete.  The 
coarser  sandy  soils  are  usually  gray,  often^  however,  with  a  tinge  of  yellow. 

There  are  no  red  surface  soils  in  the  Boston  Mountain  Plateau  and 
brownish  reds  occur  in  very  few  places.  Yellowish  red  is,  however,  a  com- 
mon color  in  the  clay  soils.  The  clay  benches  and  much  of  the  clay  up- 
land surface  soil  of  the  plateau  has  a  very  pronounced  yellowish-red,  or 
possibly  reddish-yellow,  subsoil  and  subsurface.  On  the  clay  bench  lands 
this  is  practically  universal. 

There  is  a  narrow  belt  of  brownish-red  soils  along  the  north-front 
slope  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  area.  They  are  loams  derived  from  a 
calcareous  sandstone. 

The  brown  soils  occur  most  abundantly  on  the  high  ridges  and  hills 
of  the  central  hill  belt  of  the  plateau.  They  occur  also  in  other  parts  of  the 
area,  usually  derived  from  the  medium-grained  sandstones.  This  is  especial- 
ly true  of  the  thin-bedded  sandstones  of  brown  color  which  disintegrate  into 
the  so-called  black  and  red  gravelly  land. 

The  brown  soils  of  the  high  ridges  and  hills  have  a  reddish  cast,  with 
less  prominent  yellow,  while  the  lower  lying  brown  soils  are  more  apt  to  be 
yellowish  brown,  except  the  reddish  brown  and  brownish  reds  referred  to 
above  and  isolated  occurences  on  the  northward  slopes  elsewhere.  The 
walnut  and  locust  land  is  dark  reddish  brown  wherever  it  occurs.  The  silt 
soils  derived  from  the  limestone  beds  of  the  north  front-slope  and  the 
interior  basins  are  reddish  brown,  but  lighter  in  tone  than  the  sandstone 
soils  of  the  same  color. 

There  is  only  one  belt  of 'black  soils  in  the  region.  This  is  the  soils 
of  the  north  front-slope  belt^  that  have  been  derived  from  the  thick  black 
shale  beds  occuring  there  in  association  with  thin  limestone  beds. 

The  soil  layer  is  of  moderate  depth  only.  Bedrocks  outcrops  frequently, 
and  even  on  smooth  areas  the  depth  to  the  rock  is  usually  from  2  to  6 
feet.  The  rock  can  usually  be  seen  in  the  roadside  ditches.  True  hardpan 
is  of  very  rare  occurence  on  the  plateau.  It  probably  does  not  exist.  On 
the  flat  clay  and  silt  surface  the  tougher  subsoil  is  sometimes  called  hard- 


166  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


pan,  but  it  is  not  hard  as  a  rule  and  is  not  impervious — neither  hard 
nor  acts  as  a  pan.  The  shallowness  of  the  soil,  however,  makes  a  great 
deal  of  it  susceptible  to  drought. 

The  soils  of  the  Boston  Mountain  Plateau,  not  including  the  lowlands, 
lower  plateaus,  and  ridges  of  t'ne  Ouachita  region  along  the  Arkansas  River, 
are  predominantly  Fayetteville  soils.  Associated  with  these  are  Hanceville 
soils  and  two  groups  which  have  been  designated  as  Jamestown  and  Wins- 
low. 

The   Ouachita    Mountains. 

This  report  is  concerned  with  thr.t  part  of  the  Ouachita  Mountains  that 
lies  between  the  Arkansas  River  and  the  foot  of  the  southern  slope  of  the 
Boston  Plateau  block.  It  includes  ridge  and  lowland  belts  typical  for  the 
region  and  along  the  northern  border  a  series  of  plateaus,  more  or  less 
isolated  by  lowland  belts  and  areas,  essentially  like  the  upland  surface 
of  the  Boston  Mountain  Plateau,  within  Region  No.  1,  but  considerably 
lower.  Their  surfaces  lie  at  a  maximum  elevation  of  about  1,200  feet.  From 
Scotland  eastward  to  the  White  River  lowland  at  Searcy  there  is  a  contin- 
uous lowland  belt  between  these  plateaus  and  the  south  foot  of  the  Boston 
Mountain  Plateau.  South  of  these  plateaus  lies  the  typical  belted  country 
with  its  alternating  ridges  and  lowland  belts.  The  ridges  and  plateaus 
are  well  defined  but  low,  so  that  the  whole  area  north  of  the  Arkansas 
River  is  an  area  of  low  relief  when  compared  with  the  Boston  Mountain 
Plateau,  and  will  be  described  as  such.  The  area  is  wedge-shaped,  running 
to  a  point  at  the  western  State  line  and  reaching  maximum  width  at  the 
extreme  end,  where  it  abuts  against  the  White  River  lowland  area.  The 
boundary  lines  are,  on  the  north  the  south  boundary  of  the  plateau  already 
described,  on  the  south  the  Arkansas  River,  and  on  the  east  the  Missouri 
Pacific  Railway  approximately.  It  includes  about  2,700  miles. 

The  rocks  of  the  Ouachita  belt  are  the  same  as  those  in  the  Boston 
Mountain  Plateau.  The  same  beds  of  sandstone  and  shale  which  lie  in 
a  nearly  horizontal  position  under  the  latter  lie  under  the  former  in  part 
in  a  horizontal  position,  but  mainly  in  a  series  of  folds  or  up  bows  and  down 
bows,  so  that  the  individual  layers  o^!  rock  plunge  downward  into  the  earth 
at  angles  varying  considerably  in  steepness,  often  practically  vertical.  The 
corresponding  beds  lie,  when  horizontal,  at  a  lower  altitude  in  part  of  the 
Ouachita  belt  included  in  this  report  than  in  the  plateau.  The  lower  alti- 
tude of  all  the  beds  has  depressed  the  lower  beds  so  deep  beneath  the 
surface  that  they  are  not  exposed  on  the  surface  at  any  place  in  the  Oua- 
chita region.  This  applies  especially  to  the  rocks  which  form  the  Jamestown 
soils.  These  soils  do  not  occur,  therefore,  in  the  Ouachita  region. 

The  rocks  forming  the  Winslow  Foils  are  exposed  in  many  places  in 
the  Ouachita  belt,  but  not  in  positions  favorable  to  the  development  of 
Winslow  soils.  The  reason  is  probably  climatic. 

Alluvial   Soil   of  the  Ozark   Region. 

The  alluvial  soils  throughout  the  Ozark  region  are  predominately  brown 
to  reddish  brown.  In  a  few  places  terraces  with  gray  to  nearly  white  soils 
occur,  but  they  are  of  very  limited  distribution.  In  the  Ouachita  region 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  167 


there  are  considerable  areas  of  gray  first-bottom  alluvial  soils  which  approach 
the  Holly  soils  in  character,  though  they  are  derived  entirely  from  sandstones 
and  shales.  They  are  of  about  the  same  agricultural  valut*  as  the  Holly. 
The  alluvium  along  all  the  streams  of  the  Ozark  Dome,  the  Boston 
Mountain  Plateau,  and  the  larger  streams  of  the  mapped  Ouchita  belt 
which  rise  in  the  plateau  is  of  quite  uniform  color  and  producing  capacity. 
The  soils  derived  from  this  material  are  typical  Huntington  soils.  In  the 
Ozark  Dome  they  are  gravelly  as  a  rule,  and  often  redder  in  color  than  the 
typical  Huntington.  The  gravel  consists  wholly  of  chert.  The  subsoils 
have  more  red  in  their  color  than  the  soils.  The  types  are  not  usually  so 
light  in  the  subsoil  as  some  of  the  alluvial  soils  of  the  Boston  Mountain 
Plateau.  In  the  latter  region  the  soils  are  brown  rather  than  reddish  brown, 
but  otherwise  are  much  like  those  of  the  Dome  region,  except  that  their  sub- 
soils are  much  more  porous,  being  made  up  in  many  cases  largely  of  sand- 
stone cobbles  reaching  the  size  of  boulders  in  some  cases. 

Areas  of  Different  Soils, 
Soil  Acres 

Howell  soils, 5,842,944 

Springfield  soils, 4,893,696 

Clarkesville    soils^ 4,550,400 

Alluvial    soils, .'. 3,785,472 

Payetteville  soils : 

Stony   loam, 1,951,488 

Mainly  silt  loams, 589,824 

Lowland    phase, . 714,240 

Lebanon    soils, 1,428,480 

Union    soils, 1,331,712 

Hagertown    soils, , 979,200 

Izard    soils, 776,448 

Berryville    soils, 755,712 

Iberia  soils 665^56 

Appleton  silty  soils, 628,992 

Owensville   silt   loam, 550,656 

Jamestown    soils, 541,440 

Fredericktown    soils, 435,456 

Dent    soils^ 343,296 

Appleton    soils, : 299,520 

Cedar  Valley  soils, '. 294,912 

Hanceville    soils, 274,176 

Rough  stony  land, 241,920 

Tilsit    soils, 177  408 

Winslow    soils, 129',024 

Glenn    soils, 69,120{ 

Pocahontas    soils, ....27,648 


Total,  32,  279  040 


Description  cf  Prairie  Soils. 

The  typical  soil  of  the  prairies  of  Arkansas  is  known  as  the  Crowley 
ailt  loam,  the  name  being  derived  from  Crowley,  La.,  where  a  similar  soil 


168  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


is  widely  developed.     It's  physical  characteristics  and  availability  have  been 
described  by  Bonsteel  as  follows: 

"The  Crowley  silt  loam  is  a  brown  or  ashy  gray  silt  loam  ranging  in  depth 
from  10  to  16  inches,  underlain  by  a  j:ray  or  mottled  heavy  silt  loam  or  silty 
clay  which  frequently  contains  concretions  of  iron  and  calcium  carbonate. 
The  subsoil  ranges  in  color  from  gray  to  reddish  yellow,  mottled  with  red  and 
brown,  and  is  stiff  and  impervious  in  all  localities  where  it  has  been  en- 
countered-. ***** 

Before  the  introduction  of  rice  culture  upon  this  soil  very  little  agri- 
cultural use  was  made  of  it.  In  Arkansas  the  prairie  grasses  were  used 
for  grazing  purposes,  and  the  better  drained  and  higher  -lying  portions  of 
the  type  were  beginning  to  be  cultivated  to  cereal  grains  and  forage  crops. 
These  uses  of  the  type,  however,  are  entirely  subordinate  to  its  principal 
utilization  as  the  chief  rice-growing  soil  of  the  Western  Gulf  States.  While 
small  areas  are  annually  planted  to  cotton,  corn,  cowpeas  and  even  oats  or 
wheat,  the  great  use  of  the  soil  is  for  the  production  of  the  rice  crop. 

The  Crowley  silt  loam,  owing  to  its  flat  topography,  to  its  slight  eleva- 
tion above  the  main  drainage  channels,  and  to  the  impervious  nature  of 
both  the  surface  soil  and  subsoil  is  in  its  natural  condition  for  the  most 
part  poorly  drained.  ***** 

The  Crowley  silt  loam  is  the  typical  rice  land  of  southwestern  Louis- 
iana and  east-central  Arkansas.  It  is  probable  that  more  rice  is  grown  upon 
this  soil  than  upon  all  other  rice  soils  in  the  United  States.  In  fact,  the 
development  of  this  type  for  agricultural  purposes  has  been  almost  co- 
extensive with  the  development  of  the  rice  industry  in  the  Western  Gulf 
States." — By  L.  W.  Stephenson  and  A.  P.  Crider,  Water  Supply  Paper  No. 
399,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


ASHLEY  COUNTY. 

Twelve  soil  types  have  been  mapped  in  Ashley  county. 

The  Richmond  silt  loam  is  by  far  the  most  extensive  type.  It  is  derived 
from  the  loess.  It  is  best  suited  t>  the  production  of  general  crops.  A 
poorly  drained  phase  and  a  prairie  j/hase,  the  latter  affording  excellent 
pasturage  and  general  farming  land,  are  distinguished  on  the  map.  In 
recent  years  the  prairie  phase  has  been  in  demand  for  rice  growing. 

The  Crowley  silt  loam  is  a  productive  soil  in  considerable  demand  for 
rice  growing.  A  timbered  phase  will  need  draining  to  fit  it  for  cultivation. 

The  Ruston  fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  for  the  most 
part  well-drained  soils,  suitable  for  all  farm,  truck  and  fruit  crops.  If  not 
properly  handled  they  are  soon  depleted  of  organic  matter. 

A  small  area  of  the  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam  exists  in  the  county. 
It  is  especially  well  suited  to  trucking  and  orcharding,  as  well  as   to  the 
general    farm    crops. 

The  Portland  very  fine  sandy  Ic  am  is  the  most  productive  soil  in 
the  county.  It  occupies  slight  ridges  in  the  eastern  bottoms  and  is  well 
adapted  to  general  farm  and  truck  crops. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  169 

The  Portland  clay  is  more  or  less  swampy  and  is  in  very  evident  need 
of  drainage,  after  which  it  will  likely  become  a  strong  and  lasting  soil. 

The  Vicksburg  silt  loam  is  a  productive  first-bottom  soil  occuring  along 
upland  streams,  and  subject  to  frequent  inundations.  On  areas  that  are 
not  too  often  overflowed  excellent  crops  are  produced. 

The  Waverly  silt  loam  is  a  grayish  first-bottom  soil  lying  along  the 
Ouachita  and  Saline  rivers  and  the  upland  streams.  Owing  to  its  poor  drain- 
age and  frequent  inundations  it  is  in  a  water-logged  condition. 

The  Waverly  silt  loam,  heavy  subsoil  phase,  and  Waverly  very  fine 
sandy  Icam  constitute  the  greater  part  of  the  flat,  imperfectly  formed  terraces 
along  the  Ouachita  and  Saline  bottoms.  In  their  present  overflowed  condi- 
tion they  are  unfit  for  cultivation.  Some  portions  are  used  as  range  for 
hogs. 

The  Boeuf  very  fine  sandy  loam  occupies  small,  irregular  ridges  lying 
from  3  to  5  feet  above  the  surrounding  terrace  areas.  They  are  usually 
cleared  and  in  cultivation  and  are  not  seriously  affected  by  floods. 

Swamp  includes  the  narrow  strip  of  the  first  bottom  occuring  along  the 
Saline  and  Ouachita  rivers  and  a  strip  of  terrace  formation  most  likely 
composed  of  the  Waverly  and  Bouef  soils  with  interspersed  sand  and  clay 
depressions.  Owing  to  its  inaccessibi'ity,  due  to  the  high  water,  no  attempt 
was  made  to  separate  this  area  into  soii  types. — Soil  Survey  of  Ashley  County, 
Ark.,  by  E.  S.  Vanatta,  B.  D.  Gilber^  E.  B.  Watson  and  A.  H.  Meyer,  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Soils,  1914. 


COLUMBIA  COUNTY. 

As  the  county  lies  within  the  Gulf  Coastal  Plain,  the  upland  soils  are  of 
sedimentary  origin.  Including  Meadow,  27  soil  types  are  mapped.  The 
upland,  sedimentary  soils  are  classed  in  the  Susquehanna,  Ruston,  Orange- 
burg,  Norfolk,  Caddo  and  Lufkin  series  and  the  'streambottom  alluvial  soils 
in  the  Ocklocknee  and  Bibb  series  and  Meadow  on  the  first  bottoms,  and 
in  the  Myatt,  Cahaba  and  Kalima  series  on  the  second  bottoms,  or  terraces. 

The  Susquehanna  fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  ex- 
tensively and  successfully  used  in  producing  cotton,  corn  and  miscellaneous 
crops.  The  Susquehanna  sandy  loam  is  used  for  the  same  purposes,  but  it 
is  not  quite  so  productive.  The  Susquehanna  clay  is  of  small  extent  and 
is  the  result  chiefly  of  erosion.  The  rougher  areas  are  best  suited  to  pastur- 
age, while  smoother  portions  are  fairly  suitable  for  cultivation. 

The  Ruston  fine  sandy  loam  and  \ery  fine  sandy  loam  are  productive 
soils,  used  for  cotton,  corn  and  miscellaneous  crops.  These  soils  appear 
well  suited  to  peaches  and^various  fruits.  The  Ruston  sandy  loam  is  better 
suited  to  cotton  than  to  corn,  owing  to  its  somewhat  droughty  nature.  The 
Ruston  sand  is  a  deep  sandy  soil,  inclined  to  be  droughty.  It  is  used  for 
general  crops,  but  is  better  adapted  to  vegetables  and  early  truck  crops. 

The  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam  is  a  well-drained  soil,  well  suited  to 
general  farm  and  fruit  crops. 


170  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  Norfolk  fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  productive 
soils,  well  suited  to  general  farm  crops.  The  Norfolk  sand  is  a  loose  sandy 
soil,  rather  droughty  and  not  very  productive.  It  is  used  for  general  farm- 
ing, but  is  better  adapted  to  early  truck. 

The  Caddo  fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  low,  flat, 
poorly  drained  soils.  The  better  drained  phase  are  cleared  and  used  for 
general  farming.  These  soils  afford  good  pasturage,  but  are  in  i-eed  or 
artificial  drainage. 

The  Lufkin  silt  loam  is  a  low,  flat,  poorly  drained  soil  of  compact 
structure,  mainly  forested.  The  better  phases  are  cultivated  with  some 
success.  General  farm  crops  are  grown  and  rice  probably  would  prove 
successful.  The  Lufkin  clay  is  mostly  timbered  and  not  suited  for  general 
crops.  It  could  probably  be  used  for  rice. 

The  Ochlocknee  fine  sandy  loam  has  a  small  development,  but  most  of 
it  is  well  suited  to  corn  and  forage  crops.  The  Ocklocknee  very  fine  sandy 
loam  and  silt  loam  are  brown  soils,  practically  all  forested,  the  former  type 
including  most  of  the  overflowed  stream  bottoms.  The  poor  drainage  and 
frequent  occurence  of  overflow  preclude  their  extensive  development.  They 
are  used  as  a  range  for  stock. 

The  Bibb  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  silt  loam  are  light-colored  soils 
which  are  forested  and  subject  to  periodical  overflows.  They  afford  some 
pasturage. 

The  Myatt  very  fine  sandy  loam  is  flat  and  poorly  drained.  Some  of 
it  is  used  for  cotton  and  corn,  but  most  of  it  is  forested  and  used  for  stock 
range. 

The  Cahaba  fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  the  Kalmia 
fine  sandy  loam  are  generally  well  drained  terrace  soils,  well  suited  to  the 
general  farm  crops.  Alfalfa  might  be  successfully  grown  on  these  soils. 

The  Cahaba  fine  sand  is  a  porous  sandy  soil.  It  gives  fair  results  with 
corn  and  cotton,  but  is  be.tter  adapted  to  early  vegetables. 

Meadow  is  a  poorly  drained,  first-bottom  type  of  variable  soil  material 
which  is  best  suited  for  pasturage. — Soil  Survey  of  Columbia  County,  Ar- 
kansas by  Clarence  Lounsbury  and  E.  B.  Deeter,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  1916. 


CONWAY  COUNTY. 

The  soils  of  the  area  have  been  classified  into  nine  types.  Five  of 
these  are  residual  upland  and  four  are  alluvial  bottom  soils.  The  upland 
soils  have  been  correlated  with  the  Fayetteville  series,  and  the  bottom  soils 
with  the  Wabash  series. 

Some  of  the  upland  soil  types,  notably  the  Fayetteville  stony  loam,  are 
well  suited  to  the  production  of  apples  where  sufficient  clay  is  found  in 
the  subsoil.  There  are  phases  of  this  type  that  could  be  used  profitably 
in  the  production  of  peaches,  provided  a  shipping  point  is  sufficiently  near. 

The  soils  along  the  river  are  wholly  different  from  those  on  the  hills 
and  require  different  treatment.  Most  of  them  are  well  suited  to  the  pro- 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  171 


duction  of  cotton  and  corn  and  two  types,  namely,  the  Wabash  clay  and  the 
Wabash  silt  loam,  will  grow  good  crops  of  rice  in  those  areas  where  the 
surface  is  flat  and  the  drainage  somewhat  poor.  The  Wabash  silt  loam, 
where  the  water  table  is  from  5  to  10  feet  below  the  surface,  will  grow  good 
alfalfa.  This  is  also  true  of  the  Wabash  clay  where  good  surface  drainage 
can  be  secured. — Soil  Survey  of  Conway  County,  Arkansas,  by  James  L. 
Burgess  and  Chas.  W.  Ely.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  1908. 


CRAIGHEAD  COUNTY. 

The  greater  part  of  the  soils  belong  in  the  lowlands,  comprising  both 
first  and  second  bottoms.  The  soils  range  in  texture  from  heavy  plastic 
clay  to  loamy  sand.  In  all,  13  types  of  soil,  one  with  a  shallow  phase,  are 
mapped  in  Craighead  county.  These  are  grouped  in  9  series. 

The  Memphis  soils  are  encountered  throughout  the  extent  of  Crowleys 
Ridge.  They  are  well  drained  and  are  used  mainly  for  the  growing  of 
cotton  and  corn.  Fruits,  vegetables  and  peanuts,  lespedeza,  white  clover, 
Bermuda  grass  and  forage  crops  do  well. 

The  Grenada  silt  loam  is  also  an  upland  type,  but  is  less  well  drained 
than  the  Memphis  soils.  This  type  is  easily  cultivated  and  is  highly  esteemed 
for  growing  cotton,  corn  and  peanuts.  Lespedeza,  white  clover  and  Ber- 
muda grass  afford  good  grazing. 

The  Collins  silt  loam  is  a  first-bottom  soil  occuring  within  the  limits 
of  Crowleys  Ridge.  It  is  developed  principally  along  Big  Creek  and  its 
tributaries.  It  is  subject  to  overflow  tnd  is  poorly  drained.  The  principal 
crops  are  cotton,  corn  and  hay.  Lespedeza  does  well  and  can  be  grown  to 
good  advantage  both  for  hay  and  pasturage.  White  clover  and  Bermuda 
grass  also  afford  good  pasturage. 

The  Sharkey  clay,  locally  known  as  "gumbo,"  is  encountered  in  the 
sloughs  and  the  "sunk  lands"  lying  east  of  Crowleys  Ridge.  The  typical 
forest  growth  is  cypress  and  tupelo  gum.  Although  much  of  this  land  is  now 
covered  with  water,  drainage  canals  are  being  constructed  which  should  re- 
claim large  areas.  Only  a  small  part  oi'  the  type  is  cultivated.  Where  drain- 
age is  good  cotton  and  corn  do  well. 

The  Waverly  clay  occurs  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  along  Cache 
River.  It  is  poorly  drained  first-bottom  soil  and  practically  none  of  it 
is  in  cultivation.  With  artificial  drainage  this  type  will  be  productive. 
It  will  be  found  especially  adapted  to  grasses  and  forage  crops.  Lespedeza, 
clover  and  Bermuda  grass  will  give  good  yields  of  hay  and  pasturage. 

The  Calhoun  silt  loam  and  its  shallow  phase  constitute  the  "white" 
soils  on  the  broad  terraces  on  both  sides  of  Crowleys  Ridge.  Drainage  is 
poor.  The  greater  part  o£  these  soils  is  forested.  Corn,  cotton,  wheat, 
oats,  sorghum,  rice,  lespedeza,  Bermuda  grass,  redtop,  alsike,  clover  and  cow- 
peas  are  grown  to  some  extent. 

The  Oliver  fine  sandy  loam  and  silt  loam  are  terrace  soils,  used  prin- 
cipally for  growing  cotton  and  corn.  In  places  the  underdrainage  is  poor, 
but  in  general  the  soils  of  this  series  rre  sufficiently  drained  and  productive. 


172  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


It  is  well  suited  to  the  production  of  lespedeza,  white  clover  and  Bermuda 
grass. 

The  Lintonia  fine  sandy  loam,  loamy  sand  and  silt  loam  are  among 
the  best  soils  in  the  county  and  produce  excellent  yields  of  cotton  and  corn. 
They  occur  as  second-bottoms,  or  terraces,  and  are  generally  well  drained. 
The  greatest  development  of  the  series  is  near  the  St.  Francis  River.  It 
also  occurs  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cache  River.  Cotton  and  corn  are  the 
principal  crops.  Lespedeza,  white  clover  and  Bermuda  grass  do  well, 
especially  on  the  silt  loam. 

The  Crowley  silt  loam  is  used  mainly  for  the  production  of  rice.  If 
thorough  drainage  were  established,  preferably  with  tile  drains,  the  type 
could  be  used  successfully  for  the  production  of  the  other  crops  of  the 
region. — Soil  Survey  of  Craighead  County,  Arkansas,  by  E.  B.  Deeter,  In 
Charge,  and  L.  Vincent  Davis,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  1917. 


FAYETTEVILLE    AREA. 

Nine  types  of  soil  were  mapped  in  the  Fayetteville  area  besides  Meadow 
and  Rough  stony  land.  The  limestone  soils  are  all  silt  loams  with  heavy 
silt  loam  or  silty  clay  loam  subsoils.  Wherever  the  topography  is  much 
broken,  varying  amounts  of  chert  are  present.  Where  well  drained — as  most 
of  the  upland  portions  are — these  soils  are  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
apples,  peaches  and  berries  and  when  well  farmed  satisfactory  yields  of  the 
staple  i'arm  crops  are  obtained.  The  Clarksville  silt  loam  ranges  in  price 
from  $25  to  $150  an  acre,  depending  on  location,  buildings  and  amount  of 
orchard;  the  Clarksville  stony  loam  $5  to  $15  unimproved,  and  $10  to  $80 
improved;  and  the  Gascondae  silt  loam  from  $10  to  $40  an  acre.  The  lime- 
stone bottomland,  the  Wabash  silt  loam,  is  perhaps  the  best  type  in  the  area 
for  general  farming  and  is  worth  $50  an  acre  for  that  purpose,  but  because  of 
its  non-adaption  to  fruit  it  can  be  bought  for  less  than  some  of  the  upland 
fruit  soils. 

The  sandstone  uplands  are  loams  and  fine  sandy  loams  overlying  clay 
loams  or  fine  sandy  clays.  The  Upshur  loam  is  a  good  soil  for  general 
farming,  and  where  favorably  located  it  is  well  adapted  to  the  tree  fruits 
and  berries.  It  may  be  bought  at  prices  ranging  from  $15  to  $100  an  acre. 

The  Upshur  fine  sandy  loam  is  one  of  the  best  types  in  the  area  for 
the  production  of  strawberries.  Peacbes  and  apples  also  do  remarkably  well 
when  the  topography  and  drainage  are  favorable,  and  selected  positions 
within  this  type  furnish  conditions  almost  ideal  for  these  crops.  The  yields 
of  farm  crops  are  only  moderate,  and  the  soil  must  be  fertilized  to  obtain 
profitable  returns,  but  it  responds  quickly  to  fertilizers.  Part  of  the  type  is 
somewhat  inaccessible,  and  this  lowers  its  value.  Such  areas  range  in  price 
from  $5  to  $50  an  acre.  Accessibility  areas  bring  from  $20  to  $100  an  acre, 
depending  upon  improvements  and  the  amount  of  orchard. 

The  Upsfour  stony  loam  is  adapted  in  part  to  tree  fruits,  general  farm- 
ing and  permanent  pasture,  depending-  upon  position  and  stone  content 
Its  price  ranges  from  $5  to  $50,  averaging  possibly  $20,  an  acre. 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  173 


The  Wabash  clay  loam  and  Wabash  loam  are  bottom-land  soils  derived 
principally  from  sandstone  wash.  They  are  both  excellent  types  for  corn, 
grass  and  forage  crops,  and  in  well-drained  fields  the  other  cereals  are 
sometimes  grown  to  advantage.  In  general  these  types  are  not  adapted 
to  the  tree  fruits,  but  strawberries  and  the  cane  fruits  do  well  where  drain- 
age is  good.  These  types  may  be  purchased  for  from  $10  to  $50  an  acre. 

It  would  be  easily  possible  to  improve  the  management  of  the  farming 
lands  of  the  area  in  certain  respects.  The  methods  of  cultivation  are 
generally  inadequate.  Few  of  the  soils  receive  sufficient  preparation  before 
planting,  and  in  many  instances  increased  tillage  would  profitably  enlarge 
the  crop  returns.  Crops  are  not  harvested  at  the  proper  stage  of  ripeness, 
and  in  some  cases  there  is  much  wasted.  The  former  happens  in  the  hay 
harvest,  and  the  latter  with  corn,  particularly,  and  in  lesser  degree  with 
the  cereals.  At  least  one-half  of  the  feeding  value  of  the  corn  fodder  is 
wasted  because  of  failure  to  gather  properly  or  in  due  season,  and  enlarge 
amounts  of  straw  are  lost.  Stable  manure  is  very  valuable,  particularly 
on  the  upland  soils,  but  few  farmers  exercise  any  care  in  saving  it. — Soil 
Survey  of  the  Fayetteville  Area,  Arkansas,  by  Henry  J.  Wilder  and  Charles 
F.  Shaw,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  1907. 


FAULKNER   COUNTY. 

The  upland  soils  are  residual  from  Pennsylvanian  sandstones  and 
shales.  The  alluvial  soils,  except  those  along  the  Arkansas  River,  have 
been  formed  from  material  derived  from  the  near-by  hills  and  valleys. 
The  Arkansas  River  bottom  soils  consist  of  local  upland  sediments  mixed 
with  a  large  quantity  of  residual  prairie  sediments. 

The  upland  soils  are  classed  with  the  Hanceville  and  Conway  series. 
The  Hanceville  soils  have  brown  to  reddish-brown  surface  soils  and  red, 
moderately  friable  subsoils.  The  Hanceville  stony  loam  is  largely  forested, 
but  much  of  it  could  be  used  for  raising  live  stock  and  growing  fruit.  The 
shale  loam  is  of  small  extent.  The  Fanceville  gravelly  fine  sandy  loam  and 
fine  sandy  loam  types  are  used  extensively  for  the  growing  of  cotton  and  corn. 
They  are  lacking  in  organic  matter  and  are  generally  in  need  of  lime.  The 
loam  type  is  cultivated  extensively;  it  has  good  drainage  and  is  free  from 
large  quantities  of  rock  fragments. 

The  Conway  silt  loam  is  the  typical  valley  soil  of  tne  county.  Much 
of  the  type  is  in  need  of  drainage.  The  better  drained  areas  give  moderately 
good  yields  of  cotton,  corn,  vegetables  and  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes  The 
wet  areas  furnish  excellent  pasturage  and  hay. 

The  brown  first-bottom  soils  along  the  streams .  other  than  the  Arkansas 
River  are  mapped  as  the  Pope  fine  sandy  loam  and  silt  loam.  They  are 
particularly  well  adapted  to  the  growing  of  corn.  The  gray  equivalent  of 
the  Pope  series  is  the  Atkins,  of  which  series  the  silty  clay  loam  and  clay 
are  encountered  in  Faulkner  county.  These  soils  are  prevailingly  in  need 
of  better  drainage. 

The  Muskogee  silt  loam  is  a  poorly  drained  terrace  soil  occuringr 
along  the  outer  margin  of  the  Arkansas  River  bottoms.  It  lies  above  over- 
flow. Fair  yields  of  cotton  and  corn  are  obtained  on  this  soil. 


174  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  first-bottom  soils  along  the  Arkansas  River  are  mapped  as  the 
Portland,  Yahola  and  Miller  series. 

The  Portland  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  silt  loam  have  brown  surface 
soils  and  chocolate-brown  to  chocolate  red  subsoils.  Almost  all  their  acreage 
is  used  for  growing  cotton  and  corn  or  as  pasture  land.  The  Portland  clay 
is  a  very  productive  soil,  but  it  is  deficient  in  drainage.  Parts  of  it  have 
been  reclaimed  by  ditching  and  as  much  as  1  bale  of  cotton  per  acre  is 
produced. 

The  Yahola  very  fine  sandy  loam  is  used  extensively  for  growing  cotton 
and  corn.  A  part  of  the  type  lies  above  normal  overflow.  Drainage  is 
good. 

The  Miller  series  is  characterized  by  chocolate-red  or  chocolate-reddish 
brown  surface  soils  and  chocolate-red  subsoils.  The  Miller  silty  clay  loam 
and  clay  are  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  soils  in  the  country,  giving 
good  yields  of  cotton,  corn  and  alfalfa. 

Riverwash  includes  areas  of  loose  sand  which  are  frequently  over- 
flowed and  have  little  ^agricultural  value. 

Rough  stony  land  comprises  very  stony  ridge  areas  and  steep  slope 
land.  It  is  too  stony  or  steep  for  cultivation,  but  is  suited  in  some  measure 
to  forestry  and  grazing. — Soil  Survey  of  Faulkner  County,  Arkansas,  by 
E.  B.  Deeter.  In  Charge,  and  Henry  I.  Cohen,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils,  1919. 


HEMPSTEAD    COUNTY. 

There  are  33  types  and  one  phaso  of  soils  mapped  in  Hempstead  county. 
These  are  grouped  in  20  series.  About  75  per  cent  of  the  soil  material  is 
residual  in  origin  and  the  remainder  alluvial.  The  fine  sandy  loam  and  clay 
types  predominate.  The  residual  or  upland  soils  are  classed  with  the 
Houston,  Oktibbeha,  Sumter,  Susquehanna,  Lufkin,  Ruston,  Orangeburg, 
Norfolk  and  Caddo  series;  the  soils  of  the  first  bottoms  of  flood  plains 
with  the  Trinity,  Miller,  Yahola,  Portland,  Bibb  and  Ochlockonee  series,  and 
those  of  the  second  bottoms  or  stream  terraces  with  the  Kalmia,  Amite, 
Leaf,  Myatt  and  Muskogee  series. 

The  Houston  clay  is  the  most  productive  upland  type  of  Hempstead 
county,  practically  all  of  it  is  under  cultivation.  It  is  especially  well  suited 
to  the  production  of  long  and  short  staple  cotton,  corn,  cowpeas,  peanuts 
and  alfalfa. 

The  soils  of  the  Oktibbetha  series — an  upland  series — are  of  moderate 
extent.  They  are  underlain  by  calcareous  deposits  at  shallow  depths  and 
are  productive.  Between  50  and  75  per  cent  of  their  area  is  under  cultiva- 
tion . 

The  Sumter  clay  has  a  rolling  to  hilly  topography  and  is  very  much 
washed  and  dissected  by  gullies.  General  farming  is  carried  on  to  a  small 
extent  on  this  soil,  but  yields  are  below  the  average  for  the  county. 


OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY  175 

The  Susquehanna  very  fine  sandy  loam  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  important  soils  of  the  county.  Cotton,  corn,  cowpeas,  sorghum  and 
oats  do  very  well  on  this  type  and  on  the  better  drained  portions  of  the 
Susquehanna  silt  loam  and  clay.  The  Susquehanna  gravelly  loam  has  a 
rolling  to  hilly  topography  The  rougher  areas  are  best  suited  to  pasturage, 
but  the  smoother  areas  are  fairly  suitable  for  cultivation. 

The  Lufkin  clay  is  a  poorly  drained  soil  of  low  agricultural  value. 
Cotton,  corn,  oats,  sorghum  and  Bermuda  grass  are  grown,  but  the  yields 
are  low. 

The  Ruston  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  fine  sandy  loam  are  the  pre- 
dominating types  of  the  county.  They  are  well  suited  to  general  farming 
and  to  the  production  of  cantaloupes  and  early  radishes.  The  Ruston 
gravelly  sandy  loam  is  a  very  inextensive  type,  cultivated  in  conjunction 
with  the  fine  sandy  loam.  Yields  are  somewhat  lower  than  on  the  latter 
type. 

The  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam,  although  comparatively  inextensive, 
is  a  productive  soil.  Cotton,  corn,  cowpeas,  sorghum,  peanuts,  oats,  canta- 
loupes, early  radishes  and  a  variety  of  other  crops  are  grown.  The  soil 
is  well  suited  to  peaches  and  other  iruits.  The  Orangeburg  gravelly  fine 
sandy  loam  is  somewhat  less  productive  than  the  fine  sandy  loam. 

The  Norfolk  fine  sand  is  especially  well  suited  to  peaches,  cantaloupes, 
early  radishes  and  truck  crops.  Fair  yields  of  cotton  and  corn  are  obtained. 

The  Caddo  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  silt  loam  are  poorly  drained 
and  unimportant,  only  a  relatively  small  proportion  of  their  area  being 
suitable  for  cultivation.  Cotton,  corn  and  grasses  are  the  principal  crops. 

The  Trinity  clay,  where  drained,  is  one  of  the  strongest  soils  of  the 
county.  Corn,  cotton,  alfalfa  and  Bermuda  grass  do  especially  well. 

The  Miller  very  fine  sand  and  clay  are  well  suited  to  cotton,  corn,  alfalfa 
and  Bermuda  grass.  The  poorly  drained  areas  are  not  in  cultivation. 

The  Yahola  silty  clay  loam,  while  comparatively  inextensive,  is  an 
important  soil.  It  is  well  suited  to  cotton,  corn,  alfalfa  and  Bermuda  grass. 

The  Portland  clay  is  very  poorly  drained  and  probably  less  than  5  per 
cent  of  it  is  under  cultivation.  It  is  naturally  a  strong,  productive  soil. 

The  Bibb  very  fine  sandy  loam  and  clay  are  very  poorly  drained  and 
are  subject  to  inundations.  They  are  used  almost  exclusively  for  grazing. 

The  Ochlockonee  very  fine  sandy  loam,  silt  loam  and  clay,  where  properly 
drained,  are  very  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  cotton  and  corn.  The 
poorly  drained  areas  are  used  for  pastures. 

Most  of  the  Kalmia  very  fine  sandy  loam,  on  account  of  poor  drainage,  is 
used  only  for  grazing,  but  where  fair  drainage  has  been  established  moderate 
yields  of  cotton,  corn,  cantaloupes  and  early  radishes  are  obtained. 

The  Amite  loam,  although  inextensive,  is  one  of  the  best  general-farming 
and  trucking  soils  in  the  county.  Nearly  all  of  it  is  under  cultivation. 


176  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 

The  Leaf  silt  loam,,  where  properly  drained,  gives  good  yields  of  cotton, 
corn,  cowpeas  and  oats.  The  Leaf  clav  is  used  largely  for  grazing. 

The  Myatt  very  fine  sandy  loam  ard  clay  are  poorly  drained  and  unim- 
portant. Only  about  5  per  cent  of  the  former  and  none  of  the  latter  is 
cultivated. 

The  Muskogee  clay  loam  is  a  poorly  drained  soil,  used  mainly  for 
grazing.  A  few  small  fields  are  devoted  to  the  production  of.  cotton  and 
corn,  and  fair  yields  are  obtained. — Soil  Survey  of  Hempstead  County, 
Arkansas,  by  Hugh  E.  Taylor,  In  Charge,  and  W.  B.  Cobb,  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Soils,  1917. 


HOWARD    COUNTY 

This  county  includes  four  distinct  groups  of  soils:  Upland  soils,  derived 
from  the  weathering  of  sandstone  and  shale;  upland  soils  of  sedimentary 
origin;  terrace  or  old-alluvial  soils;  and  first-bottom  or  recent-alluvial  soils. 
The  soils  are  separated  into  34  types,  representing  21  series,  in  addition 
to  Rough  stony  land. 

The  upland  soils  of  residual  origin,  embraced  in  the  Appalachian  Pro- 
vince, are  classed  in  the  Hanceville  series.  Those  derived  from  Coastal 
Plain  sediments  are  classed  in  the  Greenville,  Orangeburg,  Ruston,  Caddo, 
Susquehanna,  and  Oktibbeha  series  where  noncalcareous,  and  in  the  Houston 
and  Sumter  series  where  calcareous  The  terrace  soils  are  classed  in  the 
Amite,  Cahaba,  Kalmia,  Myatt^  and  Leaf  series.  The  first-bottom  soils  of 
calcareous  nature  are  correlated  with  the  Trinity,  Catalpa,  and  Portland 
series,  and  the  non-calcareous  types  with  the  Fannahatchee,  Ochlockonee. 
Bibb,  and  Pope  series. 

The  Ha'nceville  fine  sandy  loam  i-«  the  most  important  of  the  residual 
soils,  which  occupy  the  northern  pait  of  the  county.  The  Hanceville  soils 
are  well  to  excessively  drained,  and  in  general  are  good  agricultural  types. 

The  Coastal  Plain  soils  are  desirable  agricultural  types,  well  suited 
to  a  wide  range  of  crops.  The  Greenville  gravelly  loam  is  one  of  the  most 
important  peach  soils  in  the  United  States. 

The  terrace  and  first-bottom  soils  ere  very  productive  types  where 
well  drained.  Owing  to  their  generally  level  surface  they  need  artificial 
drainage  in  many  places. 

The  soils  of  Howard  County  offer  good  opportunities  for  diversified 
farming.  The  sandy  soils  are  well  adapted  to  trucking  and  general  farm- 
ing. The  gravelly  soils  are  well  suited  to  fruit.  The  calcareous  soils 
are  especially  adapted  to  alfalfa  and  long-staple  cotton.  In  general  the 
soils  are  deficient  in  organic  matter,  and  on  many  of  the  types  commercial 
fertilizer  ib  apparently  necessary  for  the  best  results. — Soil  Survey  of  Howard 
County,  Arkansas,  by  M.  W.  Beck,  in  charge.  M.  Y.  Longacre,  F.  A.  Hayes 
and  W.  T.  Carter,  Jr. 


JEFFERSON    COUNTY. 

Twenty-two  soil  types,  representing  ten  series,  are  mapped  in  the  county. 
The  soils   are   classed   in   two   general   groups,   the   upland   or  sedimentary 


OUTLINES  OF. ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  177 


soils  and  the  lowland  or  alluvial  soils.  The  upland  soils  are  the  direct 
product  of  the  weathering  of  unconsolidated  sedimentary  deposits  of  the 
Tertiary  age.  They  comprise  five  soil  series, the  Ruston,  Susquehanna, 
Caddo,  Norfolk  and  Lufkin.  The  upland  soils,  excluding  the  Ruston,  are 
poorly  drained  and  require  ditching  or  tiling  to  make  them  fully  productive. 
They  are  also  acid. 

The  lowland  or  alluvial  soils  are  derived  from  two  main  sources,  (1) 
material  transported  from  the  Permian  Red  Beds,  giving  rise  to  the  Miller 
series,  and  (2)  reasserted  material  of  the  upland  soils,  forming  the  Port 
land  and  Yahola  soils  of  the  Arkansas  River  flood  plain  and  the  Ochlockonee 
and  Bibb  soils  along  the  small  streams  traversing  the  upland.  Tho.  heavier 
types  of  the  bottom  soils,  the  silty  clay  loams  and  clays  are  usually  imperfect- 
ly drained,  a  condition  which  can  be  improved  largely  through  the  construc- 
tion of  lateral  drainage  ditches  to  the  main  canals  which  are  completed. 
The  sandy  and  silt  loam  types  of  the  alluvial  soils  constitute  the  best  agri- 
cultural land  in  the  county.  They  are  very  productive  where  carefully 
farmed. 

There  is  a  general  lack  of  organic  matter  in  the  soils,  a  condition 
which  warrants  the  general  recommendation  that  every  economical  means 
be  employed  to  increase  this  constituent  through  rotation,  manuring, 
legume  growing  and  green  manuring.  This  will  necessitate  greater  diversi- 
fication of  farm  enterprises  than  under  the  present  one-crop  system,  but 
the  change  will  increase  the  yields  of  cotton,  the  money  crop.  In  addition 
a  large  part  of  the  present  expenditures  for  food  supplies  will  be  saved 
and  the  necessity  of  buying  nitrogen  in  commercial  forms  will  be  to  some 
extent  removed. — Soil  Survey  of  Jefferson  County,  Arkansas,  by  B.  W.  Till- 
man,  In  Charge,  R.  R.  Burn,  W.  B.  Cobb  and  Clarence  Lounsbury,  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  G.  G.  Strickland,  of  the  Arkansas 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  1916. 


MISSISSIPPI    COUNTY. 

The  soils  range  from  loose  incoherent  sands  to  heavy,  plastic  clays. 
They  are  divided  into  two  general  classes,  the  first-bottom  soils  and  the 
second-bottom  or  terrace  soils. 

The  Sharkey  soils,  of  the  first  bottoms,  are  the  most  important  in  the 
county.  They  are  poorly  drained  for  the  most  part,  but  occur  in  large 
bodies  and  are  strong  and  productive.  A  large  part  of  this  series  is  still 
in  forest.  Good  yields  of  cotton,  corn,  and  alfalfa  are  obtained  on  the 
Sharkey  clay,  better  drained  phase. 

The  Sarpy  soils  are  uniformly  brown  in  color  and  have  sandy  subsoils. 
They  occur  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  other  streams. 
The  very  fine  sandy  loam,  silt  loam  and  silty  clay  loam  are  the  most  im- 
portant types.  Good  crops  of  alfali'a,  cotton,  corn  and  red  clover  are 
grown  on  these  soils. 

The  Yazoo  soils  occur  in  the  vicinity  of  Clear  Lake.  Archillion  and  Arch- 
illion  Station. 


17S  OUTLINES   OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


The  Wabash  series  is  represented  by  one  type,  the  Wabash  clay.  The 
soil  occurs  in  low  depressions  throughout  the  terraces  of  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  county. 

The  terraces  or  second  bottoms  are  situated  west  of  Big  Lake  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  the  county.  They  are  not  subject  to  ordinary  over- 
flow. The  soils  of  the  terraces  are  classed  with  the  Lintonia  and  Calhoun 
series. 

Lintonia  are  the  more  important  of  the  terrace  soils.  They  are  uni- 
formly brown  in  color,  and  for  the  most  part  sandy  in  texture.  Good 
crops  of  corn  arid  cotton  are  grown  or  these  soils. 

The  Calhoun  soils  occur  in  small  areas,  and  represent  low,  poorly  drain- 
ed spots  in  the  terraces. 

Meadow  and  Overwash  are  miscellaneous  soil  types  mapped. — Soil 
Survey  of  Mississippi  County,  Arkansas,  by  E.  C.  Hall,  T.  M.  Bushnell,  L.  V. 
Davis,  William  T.  Carter,  Jr.  and  A.  L.  Patrick.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Soils, 
1916. 


POPE  COUNTY. 

The  soils  are  residual  and  alluvial.  The  former  are  derived  from 
sandstones  and  shales  and  the  latter  from  western  residual  prairie  materials 
and  from  local  alluvium. 

Six  upland  residual  soils  are  mapped  in  addition  to  the  Rough  stony 
land  classification.  Five  of  these  belong  to  the  Hanceville  series  and  one 
to  the  Conway  series.  Of  the  alluvial  soils  of  the  upland,  five  types  belong 
to  the  Pope  series,  one  to  the  Atkins  series  and  two  to  the  Waynesboro 
series.  Of  the  Arkansas  River  soils  14  types  besides  Riverwash  are  mapped. 
These  soils  represent  the  Reinach,  Yahola,  Bastrop,  Brewer,  Osage,  and 
Muskogee  series.  The  stony  loam,  fine  sandy  loam  and  loam  of  the  Hance- 
ville series  each  have  a  low  phase. 

The  Hanceville  fine  sandy  loam  is  used  for  the  production  of  cotton 
and  corn  and  miscellaneous  crops.  Fruit,  particularly  peaches,  is  an  im- 
portant product.  The  low  phase  is  devoted  to  about  the  same  crops,  but 
has  a  lower  elevation  and  is  more  accessible. 

The  Hanceville  stony  loam  is  a  rough  soil,  but  portions  of  it  are  fairly 
well  suited  for  cultivation.  This  type  is  adapted  to  fruit  growing. 

The  Hanceville  very  fine  sandy  loam,  shale  loam  and  the  low  phase  of 
the  loam  are  comparatively  heavy  textured  soils  suitable  for  general  farm 
ing.  They  need  thorough  cultivation  and  an  increase  in  humus  supply. 
The  Hanceville  loam  being  a  mountain  soil,  is  not  adapted  to  cotton,  but 
produces  fair  crops  of  corn  and  small  grains.  Vegetables  and  fruit  do  well. 

The  Conway  silt  loam  in  general  is  a  low,  poorly  drained  soil  not  well 
suited  in  its  present  condition  to  general  crops.  Grass  does  well  and  stock 
raising  could  easily  be  conducted  on  it.  The  soil  is  in  need  of  artificial 
drainage. 


OUTLINES  OP  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  179 


The  Pope  silt  loam  ic  an  alluvial  soil.  It  is  well  adapted  to  corn  and 
cotton.  Portions  of  the  type  have  rather  poor  drainage.  The  Pope  loam  has 
about  the  same  value  as  the  silt  loam. 

The  Pope  fine  sandy  loam  is  suited  to  corn  and  cotton,  vegetables  and 
truck  crops.  The  soil  .;s  in  need  of  organic  matter. 

The  Pope  sandy  loam  and  the  sto?iy  loam  are  well  suited  to  corn  and  to 
some  extent  to'  cotton  and  miscellaneous  crops.  The  type  is  so  rough  that 
cultivation  is  difficult,  put  it  is  considered  a  strong  soil. 

The  Atkin  silt  loam  is  poorly  drained  alluvial  soi1,  which  is  mainly  forest- 
ed. Cleared  areas  afford  some  pastvrage. 

The  Waynesboro  loam  and  stony  loam  are  suited  to  general  farming. 

The  Reinach  very  fine  sandy  loam  is  an  Arkansas  River  soil,  chiefly 
devoted  to  cotton  and  corn.  The  Reinach  fine  sand  is  droughty  and  has  a 
low  agricultural  value.  The  silt  loam  of  this  series  is  suited  to  cotton,  corn 
and  forage  crops. 

The  Yahola  very  fine  sandy  loam  has  practically  the  same  value  as  the 
Reinach  very  fine  sandy  loam.  The  Yahola  very  fine  sand  and  the  fine  sand 
are  loose,  porous  soils  inclined  to  be  droughty.  They  comprise  good  Ber- 
muda grass  pastures,  and  are  well  adapted  to  vegetables  and  early  truck 
crops.  The  Yahola  silt  loam  gives  good  yields  of  cotton  and  corn. 

The  Bastrop  clay  produces  fair  crops  of  cotton,  but  is  rather  too  heavy 
for  corn.  On  a  few  better-drained  fields  alfalfa  does  well.  Portions  of 
the  type  are  poorly  drained. 

The  Brewer  silt  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  dark-colored  soils, 
well  suited  to  corn  and  cotton  the  Brewer  clay  is  a  heavy  soil,  portions  of 
which  are  rather  poorly  drained.  Good  crops  of  cotton  are  produced,  and  on 
the  better-drained  phases  alfalfa  makes  a  good  growth. 

The  Osage  silt  loam  has  about  the  same  value  as  the  Brewer  silt  loam. 

The  Muskogee  silt  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  high-terrace  soils 
fairly  well  suited  to  general  crops. 

Rough  stony  land  is  a  nonagricultural  type,  suitable  for  forestry. 

Riverwash  is  of  small  extent  and  has  no  present  agricultural  value. — 
Soil  Survey  of  Pope  County,  Arkansas,  by  Clarence  Lounsbury  and  E.  B. 
Deeter,  U.  S.  Soil  Survey,  1915. 


PRAIRIE    COUNTY. 

The  soils  of  the  area  are  derived  from  unconsolidated  materials  which 
were  laid  down  in  quiet  water.  There  were  eight  types  mapped.  The 
Acadia  silt  loam  is  the  most  extensive,  covering  about  one-third  of  the 
area  of  the  county.  It  occupies  the  timbered  uplands  area,  and  much  of 
it  is  under  cultivation.  It  gives  good  yields  of  cotton,  corn  and  oats. 

The  Crowley  silt  loam  is  next  in  point  of  extent  covering  about  24 
per  cent  of  the  area  of  the  county.  It  is  a  friable  and  easily  tilled  soil  and 
especially  adapted  to  the  production  of  grain. 


180  OUTLINES   OF   ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY 


The  Waverly  clay  nearly  equals  in  extent  the  type  last  mentioned.  It 
is  a  river  bottom  soil  and  subject  to  overflow.  In  favorable  seasons  good 
yields  of  cotton  and  corn  are  secured. 

The  Waverly  silt  loam  is  a  poorly  drained  type  found  in  depressions 
occupying  intermittent  stream  valleys.  The  type  is  little  cultivated,  but 
could  be  made  productive  by  proper  drainage. 

About  1,300  acres  only  of  the  Biscoe  silt  loam  occur  in  Prairie  county. 
It  is  found  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  between  Cache  and  White  rivers. 
It  is  adapted  to  cotton,  which  gives  moderate  yields.  Corn  is  a  secondary 
crop.  A  sandy  phase  could  be  used  lor  trucking. 

The  Calhoun  clay,  a  low-lying  upland  soil,  has  about  the  same  extent  as 
the  Biscoe  loam.  The  surface  is  le\r]  and  the  drainage  is  poor,  and  at 
present  t.he  type  is  but  little  cultivated,  though  it  would  be  a  very  good 
cotton  soil  if  reclaimed. 

The  Collins  silt  loam,  a  type  01  minor  importance,  occupies  about  2 
per  cent  of  the  entire  county.  It  occurs  along  small  streams.  The  principal 
money  crop  is  cotton,  of  which  small  :.elds  are  secured.  Corn  and  potatoes 
are  also  important  products. 

The  Morse  clay  is  an  unimpor*  .nt  type  occuring  along  the  slopes  of 
streams.  It  is  difficult  to  cultivate  and  gives  only  moderate  yields  of 
cotton  and  corn. 

The  soils  in  the  prairie  section  are  well  adapted  to  the  production  ot 
rice,  where  irrigation  is  practicable.  The  rice  industry  has  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  other  counties  of  Arkansas  and  there  appears  to  be 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  rice  growing  in  this  section.  The  water  for 
irrigation  will  have  to  be  pumped  from  wells. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Crowley  silt  loam  would  be  greatly  improved  by 
underdrainage.  The  bottom-land  types  are  overflowed,  but  possibly  could  be 
protected  by  levees  and  would  be  valuable  land  for  corn  and  cotton  if 
reclaimed. — Soil  Survey  of  Prairie  County,  Arkansas,  by  William  T.  Carter, 
Jr.,  F.  N.  Meeker,  Howard  C.  Smith  and  E.  L.  Worthen,  IT.  S.  Bureau  of 
Soils,  1907. 


YELL  COUNTY. 

The  upland  soils  ^tre  residual  from  sandstone  and  shale.  The  alluvial 
soils  consists  largely  of  material  derived  from  the  local  uplands,  although 
the  soils  of  the  Arkansas  River  bottoms  are  composed  largely  of  residuai 
prairie  material.  Including  Riverwash  and  Rough  stony  land,  23  soil  types 
are  mapped  in  Yell  county. 

The  upland  soils  are  included  in  the  Hanceville  and  Conway  series. 
Some  of  the  Hanceville  stony  loam  :s  adapted  to  the  production  of  fruit, 
but  the  steeper  areas  and  those  mere  remote  from  shipping  points  offer 
better  opportunities  for  stock  raising  than  for  any  other  use.  The  Hance- 
ville fine  sandy  loam  and  very  fine  sandy  loam  are  fairly  strong  soils  for 


OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS   GEOLOGY  181 


cotton  and  corn,  and  produce  fruit  of:  good  quality.  They  are  deficient  in 
organic  matter.  The  Hanceville  Icnm  is  extensively  cultivated.  Deeper 
plowing  and  the  more  general  growing  of  legumes  are  necessary  for  best 
results  on  this  type. 

The  Conway  silt  loam  is  an  extensive  upland  soil  type  occuring  through- 
out the  valley  areas.  The  surface  is  level  to  gently  rolling  and  the  type 
is,  in  general,  poorly  drained.  Liming  and  artificial  drainage  should  make 
the  soil  more  productive. 

The  terrace  or  second-bottom  soils  include  the  Waynesboro,  Bastrop, 
Reinach,  Brewer,  Teller  and  Muskogee  series.  The  Waynesboro  series 
is  developed  along  the  smaller  streams  of  the  county,  draining  the  local 
uplands,  while  the  remaining  terrace  series  named  are  developed  in  the 
Arkansas  River  Valley. 

The  Waynesboro  loam  is  a  relatively  inextensive  soil  of  moderate  pro- 
ductiveness. Cotton  and  corn  are  the  chief  crops.  Corn  yields  from  15 
to  30  bushels  and  cotton  from  one-third  to  one-half  bale  per  acre.  Drainage 
is  deficient  in  places. 

The  Bastrop  very  fine  sandy  loam  resembles  the  Miller  very  fine  sandy 
loam.  It  is  a  well-drained,  productive  type,  of  small  extent.  The  Reinach 
very  fine  sand  is  mainly  used  for  cotton  and  corn,  but  melons  and  cantaloupes 
of  excellent  quality  can  be  grown  on  this  soil.  The  Brewer  silt  loam  and 
Brewer  clay  are  low  second-bottom  soils,  dark  brown  to  black  in  color.  The 
silt  loam  is  a  durable  soil  and  is  well  drained.  The  clay  in  many  places 
is  poorly  drained.  Both  types  are  good  cotton  soils.  The  Teller  very  fine 
sandy  loam  is  a  high-lying  second-bottom  soil.  It  has  a  brick-red  subsoil. 
The  Muskogee  silt  loam  is  a  poorly  drained  terrace  soil  developed  on  the 
outer  margin  of  the  Arkansas  River  bottoms.  Artificial  drainage  is  neces- 
sary to  fit  land  of  this  type  for  cultivation. 

The  alluvial  first-bottom  soils  along  the  smaller  streams  are  classed 
in  the  Pope  and  Atkins  series.  The  Arkansas  River  first-bottom  soils, 
where  the  source  of  the  alluvium  is  largely  residual  prairie  soils  and  per- 
mian  Red  Beds  materials,  are  classed  in  the  Miller  and  Osage  series. 

The  Pope  series  includes  the  fine  sandy  loam,  loam  and  silt  loam  types. 
These  are  productive  soils.  The  Atkins  silty  clay  loam  and  clay  are  poorly 
drained  soils  subject  to  overflow.  They  are  best  suited  in  their  present  con- 
dition lor  use  as  hay  and  pasture  land. 

The  predominating  color  of  the  Miller  very  fine  sandy  loam,  silt  loam 
and  clay  is  brownish  red.  These  soils  produce  good  yields  of  cotton,  corn 
and  alfalfa.  They  are  naturally  calcareous.  The  Osage  clay  is  an  intractable 
soil,  generally  poorly  drained.  It  is  known  locally  as  "black  gumbo." 

Riverwash  includes  areas  in  which  the  soil  is  a  mixture  of  river-deposited 
sands  and  clays.  The  land  is  frequently  overflowed  and  is  of  little  agri- 
cultural value. 

Rough  stony  land  includes  slopes  of  rough  topography  and  stony  nature, 
valuable  only  for  the  timber  and  pasturage  afforded. — Soil  Survey  of  Yell 


182  OUTLINES  OF  ARKANSAS  GEOLOGY 


County,  Arkansas,  By  E.  B.  Deeter,  In  Charge,  and  Clarence  Lounsbury,  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Soils.  1917. 

REFERENCES. 

Ashley  County,  by  E.  S.  Vanatta,  B.  D.  Gilbert,  E.  B.  Watson,  and  A.  H. 
Meyer,  1914. 

Columbia  County,   by  Clarence  Lonnsberry  and  E.  B.  Deeter,   1910. 

Craighead  County,  by  E.  B.  Deeter  and  L.  Vincent  Davis,   1917. 

Conway  County,  by  Jas.  L.   Burgess  and  Chas.   W.  Ely,   1908. 

Howard  County,  by  M.  W.  Beck,  M.  Y.  Longacre,  F.  A.  Hayes  and  W.  T. 
Carter,  Jr.,  1919. 

Fayetteville  area,  by  Henry  Wilder  and  Chas.   F.   Shaw,   1907. 

Hempstead  County,  by  Arthur  E.  Taylor  and  W.  B.  Cook,  1917. 

Jefferson  County,  by  B.  W.  Tillman,  G.  G.  Strickland  and  others.  1916. 

Mississippi  County,  by  E.  C.  Hall,  T.  M.  Bushnell,  L.  V.  Davis.  Wm.  T. 
Carter,  Jr.,  and  A.  L.  Patrick. 

Ozark  region  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  by  Curtis  F.  Marbut,  1914. 

Pope  County,  by  Clarence  Lonnsbury  and  E.  B.  Deeter,  1915. 

Prairie  County,  by  Wm.  T.  Carter,  Jr.,  F.  N.  Meeker,  Howard  C.  Smith 
and  E.  L.  Worthen,  1907. 

Stuttgart  area, 

Yell  County,  by  E.   B.  Deeter  and  Clarence  Lonnsbury,    1917. 

Faulkner  County,  by  E.  B.  Deeter  and  H.  I.  Cohen. 

Drew  County,  by  B.  W.  Tillman. 

Perry  County,  in  progress. 

Lonoke  County,   in  progress. 


INDEX. 


Page 

Actinolite    -  157 

Aegirite   157 

Agalmatolite 153 

Agarie  Mineral - 153 

Agate  (see  Precious  Stones)  153 

Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk — 

Cretaceous  Marls  67 

Chalk  or  Lime  Marls - 68 

Albite   ; 157 

Allophane 157 

Almandite  157 

Aluminite  ~ 153 

Alunogen 153 

Amethysts  (see  Precious  Stones) 124 

Ankerite  157 

Annual  Reports,  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.  List  9 

Antimony 43 

Apatite  157 

Aplome  157 

Aprodite  153 

Aragonite 153 

Arkansite  '. 66-157 

Arkadelphia  Clay 40 

Arkansas  Novaculite 34 

Asbolite   .'. 157 

Asphalt — 

Location  of  deposits  66 

Character  of  beds 66 

Uses  of  product '. 66 

Atoka  formation  36-37 

Augite 157 

Austin  ("Annona")   Chalk  39 

Aventurine  Quartz 157 

Azurite  153 

B 

Barite  153 

Bartholomite    153 

Basanite 153 

Batesville  Sandstone  30 

Bauxite — 

Historical  foreword  by  Dr.  Branner 45 

Rapid  development  of  industry 46 

Methods  of  mining 48 

Estimates  of  available  supply „ 48 

Users  of  bauxite  ...  49 


Page 

Production  by  states 49 

Bigfork  Chert 33 

Bingen  formation 39 

Biotite    153 

Blakely  sandstone  33 

Blaylock  sandstone 34 

Boone  formation  30 

Bowenite   157 

Branner,  Dr.  John  C. — 

Appointment  as  State  Geologist  „. 7 

List  of  reports  , 9 

Portrait    13 

Outline  of  work  proposed  for  new  Geological  Survey 14 

Incidents  in  the  history  of  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.  and  conclusions  to 

be  drawn  therefrom 15 

Brassfield  limestone  ^ 29 

Braunite  158 

Breunerite  153 

Brookite 157 

Brownstone  Marl  f 39 

Brucite  :. 153 

Building  Stone- 
See  Granite,  Marble,  Limestone  and  Sandstone 91. 101, 133 

C 

Cadmium  153 

Calamine 153 

Cambrian  System 32 

Carboniferous  System — 

Mississippian  Series  ..'.  30,  35,  37 

Pennsylvanian  Series  „ 31,  36,  37 

Cason  Shale  28 

Celestite  (Strontium  Sulphate)   153 

Cement  Materials  - 76 

Cerusite  , 154 

Chalcopyrite  153 

Chalk   (see  Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk,  60)— 

White  Cliffs  and  Rocky  Comfort  deposits  77 

Comparative  analyses  77 

Chattanooga  Shale  29 

Chert  86 

Chrysolite    :....153-157 

Cinnamon  Stone  157 

Clays- 
Ball  or  paper  clay 68 

Brick  clay 68 

Kaolin 70-75 

Pottery   Clay    70-74 

Tertiary  clays 72 

Clays  for  drain  tile  72 

Ft.  Smith  clays  ...  72 


Page 

Loess  for  brick-making 73 

.  Fire  Clay  70 

Bauxite  clays  74 

Shale  , , , 74 

Clay  report  delayed  76 

Clifty  limestone 29 

Coal- 
Extent  of  coal-bearing  area  79 

Analyses  of  coals  111-112 

Study  of  coal  field  geology 80 

Extent  of  the  coal  supply  81 

Heating  tests  of  Arkansas  coal 82 

List  of  coal  operators  82-85 

Coccolite   157 

Collier   shale , 32 

Copper — 

Reports  of  chalcocite  from  Carroll  County 51 

Tomahawk  copper  mines,  Searcy  County  51 

Polk  county  deposits  52 

Copperas : 153 

Cotter  dolomite  26 

Cretaceous  system — 

Lower  Cretaceous  series 38 

Upper  Cretaceous  series 39 

Crystal  Mountain  sandstone  32 

D 

Devonian  system  j 29-34 

Diamonds — 

Four  areas  in  Pike  County  88 

History  of  discovery  and  development  88 

Plans  of  Arkansas  Diamond  Corporation  89 

Results   of  new  geological   investigations  in  the   Arkansas   dia- 
mond field 89 

Dog-tooth   Spar  157 

Dolomite    154-157 

Drake,  Dr.  N.  F. — 

State  Geologist  , 11 

Portrait   : ; 23 

E 

Eleotite    154 

Epsom  Salt 154 

Everton  limestone  126 

F 

Fahlunite  154 

False  Topas  (see  Precious  Stones) 124 

Fayetteville  shale 31 

Fernvale  limestone  ...  28 


Page 

Fluospar 154 

Freibergite 154 

Friorite  (Opal)  154 

Fuller's  Earth — 

First  found  in  United  States  by  John  Olsen 89 

Development  work  at  Klondike 90 

Uses  of  Arkansas  fuller's  earth 91 

Some  production  figures  91 

G 

Garnet    157 

Gas  (see  Natural  Gas,  p.  93). 

Geological  Surveys — 

History  reviewed 7 

Geology — 

Bibliography  41-42 

Geology  and  General  Topographic  Features  24 

Geyserite 157 

Girasol  (Opal) 154 

Glass  Sand — 

Saccharodial  sandstone  (St.  Peter)  quarried  at  Guion  .'. 93 

Deposit  at  Whitlock  Spur 93 

Novaculite,  a  probable  source  93 

Deposit  in  Jefferson  County 93 

Glass  sands  of  Crowley's  Ridge 93 

Gold- 
Unfavorable  report  by  Branner  52-53 

Goodland  limestone 38 

Graphite — 

Abundant  in  Hot  Springs  County 94 

Reported  near  Caddo  Gap  94 

Granite  (Syenite)— 

Character  of  the  rocks 91 

Geology  and  geographic  position  92 

Division  of  the  Eleolite  Syenites  into  areas 92 

Gravel  (see  Roadmaking  Material,  p.  126) — 

Description  and  uses 93 

Crowley's  Ridge  gravels  94 

Arkansas  River  gravels 94 

Ridge  gravels  in  Pulaski,  Saline,  Grant,  Dallas  and  other  counties 94 

Greenockite  r 154 

Greensands 154 

Grossularite   157 

Gypsum    94-95 

H 

Haddock,  Dr.  George — 

Connection  with  Ark.  Geol.  Surv 7-8 

Halotrichite 154 

Hartshorne  sandstone  ..  37 


Page 

Hazeldine,  Wm.  C.— 

Connection  with  Ark.  Geol.  Surv 8 

History — 

Incidents  in  history  of  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.,  by  Dr.  Branner 15 

Hornblende  - 157 

Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas — 

Discussion  of  the  waters  and  the  source  of  their  heat  145 

Action  of  the  waters  146 

Radio-activity  of  waters  146 

Hot  Springs  sandstone  - — 35 

Hydrotitanite  157 

Hydrozincite : 154 

Hypersthene  - -  158 

I 

Idocrase  158 

lolite  158 

Iron — 

Result  of  investigations - 53 

Iron  Pyrites 54 

J 

Jackfork  sandstone — 36-37 

Jasper  (see  Precious  Stones,  p.  124) — 

Jasper  -  154 

Jasper  limestone  27 

Jeffersite   - 154 

Jefferson  City  Dolomite 26 

Joachim  limestone 27 

K 

Kaolin — 

Occurrences  of  deposits 70 

Pike  County  deposits 70 

White  kaolin  of  Dallas  County 70 

Fourche  Mountain  clays 70 

Saline  County  varieties  70 

Kimmswick  limestone 28 

L 

Labradorite  154 

Lafferty  limestone  29 

Lead — 

Where  found  54 

Mine    production    ... * 55 

Tenor  of  Ark.  lead  and  zinc  ore  and  concentrates 55 

Character  of  ores 57 

Leucite  Rock  123 

Lignite— 

Camden,  or  Ouachita  deposit 95 


Page 

Tests,  report  of  95 

Description  of  field  96 

Lignite  of  Crowley's  Ridge  96 

Analysis  of  Bolivar  Creek  specimen  97 

Tertiary  lignites  general  97 

Limestone — Building  (see  Marbles,  p.  101). 

Limestone  for  Lime — 

Paleozoic  Limestones  of  north  Arkansas 97 

Analysis  of  limestone  from  Boone  Chert  98 

List  of  different  beds  98 

Carboniferous  limestones  98 

Trinity  limestones 98 

Tertiary  limestones  '. 98 

Ouachita  Mountain  region  98 

Limonite    .                                                                                                                   ..  168 


M 

Magnet  Cove — 

Description,  by  Dr.  Branner  156 

List  of  Minerals  found  in  Magnet  Cove  157 

Magnetite    158 

Malachite    : 154 

Manganese — 

Ores  occur  in  two  districts  57 

Character  of  ores  in  Batesville  district 58 

Estimate  of  the  available  supply  58 

Users  of  Manganese  ores  58 

Southwest  Arkansas  field  59 

Marbles — 

Deposits  cover  wide  region  in  north  Arkansas 101 

First  block  quarried  in  1836  for  the  Washington  monument  101 

Outer  walls  of  State  Capitol,  constructed  of  Batesville  marble 102 

Red,  gray  and  pink  marble  along  White  River  102 

Marlbrook  Marl  40 

Marls  (see  Agricultural  Marls  and  Chalk,  p.  67). 

Marls 154 

Mazarn  shale 33 

McAlester  group  «.v 37 

Melanite    158 

Melanterite  154 

Mellite    (Honey   Stone)    154 

Mica    (Biotite)    154-158 

Microcline  158 

Mineral  Springs  and  Wells  (a  list) 149-152 

Mining  Laws  of  Arkansas — 

Synopsis  of  regulatory  statutes  H'0-161 

Miser,  Hugh  D.— 

Chapter  on  the  Geology  and  General  Topographic  Feature  of  Ar- 
kansas          21 

Missouri  Mountain  slate 34 

Moorefield  shale , 30 

Morrow  group  31 


N 

rage 
Nocatoch  sand  40 

Natural  Gas — 

Introductory,  by  Dr.  John  C.  Branner 104-105 

History  of  development  106 

View  of  Constantin  Gas  Well,  near  El  Dorado 107 

Purdue  on  oil  ang  gas  

Structure  of  Ft.  Smith-Poteau  field  106 

Indications  of  gas  in  Arkansas  River  valley  .  106 

Gas  in  Washington  County  106 

Producing  well  near  El  Dorado 106 

Oil  and  gas  possibilities  near  Batesville  106 

Newtonite  154 

Nitre   (Saltpeter)   154 

Novaculite  (Whetstone) — 

Description  of  the  stone  102 

0 

Ochre 119 

Octahedrite  ~ -  158 

Oil — Petroleum — 

Dr.  Drake's  opinion  of  the  Petroleum  and  Natural  Gas  suituation 

in  Arkansas 108-114 

Photograph  of  Hunter  Well,  near  Stephens ..  113 

Prospect  well  near  Winslow  

Relation  of  Louisiana  field -  115 

Asphalt  and  petroleum  -  116 

Oil  Geology  around  Fayetteville  -  117 

Outlook  in  north-central  Arkansas  117 

Indications  in  Scott  County  115 

Some  Arkansas  deep  well  records  115-117 

Structure  in  southern  Arkansas 118 

Natural  mounds 118 

Oil  shales 118 

Oilstone  154 

Oligoclase   '54-158 

Onyx  119 

Opal  (see  Precious  Stones,  p.  124). 

Opal    158 

Ordovician   system   26-32 

Orthoclase  (Potash  feldspar)  154 

Owen,  Dr.  David  Dale — 

Work  as  State  Geologist  reviewed  7 

Ozarkite    158 

« 

P 

Paint    Minerals 119-120 

Pealite    .  ..  158 


Page 

Pearls 120 

Penters   Chart   29 

Perofskite    . 158 

Petroleum  (see  Oil,  p.  111). 
Phosphates — 

Description  of  north  Arkansas  area  120 

Analysis    121 

Southwest  Arkansas  area 122 

Greensand  Marls  a  possible  source  122 

Specimens  from  near  Hot  Springs , 122 

Conglomerate  specimen  from  near  Amity  122 

Finite   , 158 

Pitkin  limestone 31 

Plattin  limestone 27 

Polk  Creek  shale  33 

Potash   (from  Leucite  Rock)   123 

Powell  limestone 26 

Prase    158 

Precious  stones 124 

Pseudobrookite    158 

Psilomelane    154 

Purdue,  Dr.  A.  H.— 

Connection  with  Ark.  Geol.  Surv 10 

Portrait ^ 17 

Pyrolusite „ 154 

Pyrophyllite 154 

Pyroxene 154 

Q 

Quarternary  system 41 

Quartz  Crystals  124 

R 

Rectorite — 

Description  of  material 124 

Results  of  tests  „ 124 

Reddle 154 

Road  Making  Materials — 

Chapter  by  Doctor  Branner  , 126 

Inferior  materials  f 127 

Superior  metals  128 

The  chert  of  "Flint  Rock" 129 

Novaculite 130 

The  gravels   131 

Roberts,  W.  F. — 

Former  State  Geologist  7 

Rutile 158 

3 

Salt 132-133 

Sand,  building  133 


Page 

Sand,  moulding 

Sandstone  133 

Savanna  formation 37 

Sdhorlomite 158 

Serpentine    

Silex  158 

Siliceous    sinter    158 

Silurian  system  29-34 

Silver  60 

Slate — 

Topography,  geology  and  character  of  deposits  

Section  showing  relation  of  slates 136 

Microscopic   analyses   *. 136 

Black  slate  from  Mena P 135 

Dark-reddish  slate  from  Mena  135 

Reddish  slate  from  Missouri  Mountain 136 

Greenish-gray  slate  from  Mena ,- 137 

Light-greenish  slate  from  Missouri  Mountain  137 

Very  dark  bluish-gray  slates  r 138 

Light-gray  Slates  138 

Very  dark  gray  spangled  Slate - 138 

Smithsonite 155 

Smoky  Quartz  - 158 

Soapstone   r 155 

Soapstone  (see  Talc)  .- 139 

Soils- 
Description  of  the  surveyed  areas , 162 

Map  of  the  surveyed  areas 162 

Soil  Reconaissance  of  the  Ozark  region 163 

Ozark  Dome  ,. 163 

Boston  Mountain  Plateau  ,. 164 

Ouachita  Mountains   „ 166 

Alluvial  soil  of  the  Ozark  region ,. 166 

Areas  of  the  different  soils  167 

Description  of  the  Prairie  soils  167 

Ashley  County  168 

Columbia  County  169 

Conway  County  170 

Craigfoead   County 171 

Payetteville  area  ....'. 172 

Faulkner  County   173 

Hempstead  County 174 

Howard  County  176 

Jefferson  county  176 

Mississippi  County  177 

Pope  County 178 

Prairie  County  " 179 

Yell   County 180 

Sphalerite  155 

Stanley  shale 36 

Stannite 155 

St.  Clair  limestone  ..  29 


Page 

Steel,  Prof.  A.  A. — Reference  to  report  on  Coal 10 

Stibnite    : 15B 

St.  Peter  sandstone 27 

Strontium    156 

Sulphur    158 

Sunstone 155 

Syberg,  Arnold — Former  State  Geologist 8 

Syenite  ....* 155 

T 

Talc  (Soapstone),  in  Magnet  Cove 155-159 

Tertiary  System — 

Eocene   series    41 

Pliocene   (?)   series  41 

Thuringite 155 

Titanium   159 

Topography — 

Described  by  Hugh  D.  Miser 21 

Travertine    155 

Trinity  formation  , 38 

Tripoli- 
Excellent  grade  found  near  Butterfield  139 

Deposits  in  Montgomery  and  other  counties  139 

Sample  from  Washington  county  139 

Tripoli  in  the  zinc  region  139 

Turquois  or  Variscite  (see  Precious  Stones,  p.  124). 

V 

Variscite    _ 155 

Vesuvianite  , 159 

w 

Wad    155 

Washita  group  39 

Water  Resources — 

Water   power,   preliminary   report   on  White   River,   by  W.    N. 

Gladson 140 

Little  Red  River  Project 141 

Mineral  waters  141 

Ground  Waters  of  Northeast  Arkansas  141 

Water  Supply  in  the  Rice  Belt 141 

Wavelite  (see  Precious  Stones)  159 

Whetstone  (see  Novaculite,  p.  102). 

Winslow  formation  32 

Womble  shale 33 

z 

Page 
Zinc — 

Where  found  and  character  of  deposits 61 

Methods  of  mining 62 

Reports  of  production  63-64 


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